A Look Back

by Bluecatcinema

Reach For The Skies

Out in Dodge Junction, Eclipse the Griffon, adopted son of Big Red Barrel-roll, was out in town, picking up some supplies for the homestead. Once, he would have considered such an act demeaning, not to mention beneath his notice, but nowadays he relished the opportunity to play his part among his newfound family.

He got the supplies at the local general store. Mr Viddles, the owner, passed Eclipse his purchases in a brown paper bag. Viddles was a pale orange senior stallion with a sandy mane and blue eyes. He had been working at the store for over thirty years. He knew everypony in town, and had gotten to know Eclipse and his brothers not long after they were adopted.

"There you go, young fella." He smiled.

"Thanks, Mr Viddles." Eclipse said politely.

"My pleasure." Viddles nodded. "Say 'hi' to Big Red and Cherry for me."

"Will do." Eclipse grinned.

As he left the grocery store, Eclipse smiled to himself. It wasn't so long ago that it was just him and his brothers, all on their own, forced to survive alone, and avoiding contact with others. But now, they had loving adoptive parents, and were part of a community who accepted them. Even Eclipse, who had a tendency to be gruff and aloof, couldn't help but be overjoyed at how well their life had become of late.

As he walked out onto the streets, he bumped into a feathered bulk.

"Watch where you're going there!" It was another Griffon, one with reddish brown feathers and a stern, authoritative presence.

"Sorry." Eclipse apologised. "Wasn't looking where I was going."

"Well, you should be more careful in future." The Griffon declared.

As the Griffon walked off, Eclipse made to leave... before spotting a folder on the floor, dropped by the Griffon in the collision. It was open, several important looking paragraphs written on it. Eclipse read the contents for a moment, then picked it up.

"Excuse me!" He called to the Griffon. "You dropped this!"

"What?" The Griffon turned. Instantly, he glanced at his suit, and at the folder. "The document!" He rushed over. "Thank you, young fledgling. This document contains some of the latest legislation for the Griffon parliament. They would have my lion butt if I had lost this."

"No problem." Eclipse shrugged. "But if you ask me, your lion butt might as well be toast."

"What do you mean?" The Griffon asked.

"Well, it's just that it was open on the ground, and I read some of it." Eclipse declared. "And honestly, there are quite a few problems."

"Like what?" The Griffon frowned, "I had my finest employees look this over a couple hundred times... and no offense, but I doubt a kid like you could do any better."

"I don't know. This kid can be pretty observant sometimes. And I have a knack for noticing problems. For starters, this part here." Eclipse pointed. "It completely overlooks Griffon/pony interactions, see? The way things are going, Griffons and ponies are only going to mix more and more. You've gotta be ready for what comes from that."

"What..." The Griffon glanced at the document where Eclipse pointed. "...Whoa, you're right. I can't believe they missed that."

"And this part here, about making cheap lodgings in trees." Eclipse continued. "Lots of ponies make a living out of growing stuff from trees. My adoptive parents have a cherry farm, you know. Wouldn't be so prosperous if the cherry trees had houses on them."

"Well...that is a valid point..." The Griffon mused.

"And here, this part about craft materials trading." Eclipse added. "There's plenty of clay banks around these parts, so you might want to consider changing the exchange rate for Griffon/pony trades. The one on this page is way off margin."

"...Huh..." The Griffon declared. "Guess me and the guys back home are going to have to take another look at this."

"Guess you should." Eclipse nodded.

"You're pretty sharp, kid." The Griffon noted. "What's your name?"

"Eclipse, sir." Eclipse answered.

"I'm CongressGriffon Flaps Featherton of Griffonstone." The Griffon introduced himself.

"Congress?" Eclipse mused. "Guess that explains the stuff on the paper... what brings you to Dodge Junction, anyway?"

"Just a meeting with the local governor." Flaps noted. "Need to hash out some agreements regarding air space issues."

"Well, good luck with that." Eclipse told him. "I have a job of my own to complete... namely getting these groceries home."

"I see." Flaps grinned. "Then don't let me keep you."

"See ya." Eclipse waved, as he headed for home.

"Yeah..." Flaps glanced at the papers and back at the young griffon. "Here's hopin'..."

Eclipse returned to the homestead.

"I got the stuff!" He called, as he brought the groceries into the kitchen.

"Oh, thanks, Eclipse." Cherry smiled. "You're such a dear for helping."

"No problem, ma." Eclipse grinned.

"What kept ya, pardner?" Big Red asked. "Long line at Viddles' store?"

"Actually, I ran into this Griffon. He was from the Congress in Griffonstone." Eclipse declared. "He had this pile of papers that he dropped. I picked them up, and even gave him my own view on 'em."

"What are you, a politician all of a sudden?" Huckleberry snorted.

"As if." Eclipse sneered. "I just saw some stuff I thought wasn't up to snuff, that's all. What, a guy can't give a couple of notes?"

"Huck didn't mean anything by it." Globe declared.

"Besides, there's nuthin' wrong with lendin' somepony yer honest opinion." Big Red added. "Ah'll bet that fancypants poley-tician was pretty impressed. Yer pretty sharp when ya wanna be, Eek."

"You may actually have a career in politics ahead of you." Cherry smirked.

"Yeah, right." Eclipse shook his head. "Do I look like a politician?"

"I don't know." Globe shrugged. "What does one look like?"

"Not like me, that's for sure." Eclipse declared. "Now what say we just forget about it? It's not I'm gonna be seeing that guy again..."

A couple of days later, Eclipse was back in town, having dropped off some cherries at Marshall Star's place. When that job was done, he headed over to the bar to get a cream soda.

"Hey, kid!" Flaps called, sitting at a table in the corner.

"Flaps?" Eclipse stared. "Didn't think you were still in town."

"Ah, politics sometimes takes longer than you'd think." Flaps smiled. "Come over here, I'll buy you a drink."

"You don't have to do that." Eclipse shook his head.

"Like feathers I don't." Flaps smiled. "I owe you for pointing out those oversights in my documents."

"Well... if you insist." Eclipse shrugged.

After ordering some drinks (Eclipse's being a cream soda), the pair drank silently for a moment.

"You know, I'm glad I ran into you again." Flaps said suddenly.

"Why?" Eclipse asked.

"Well, considering how you saw the flaws in our legislation, I got to thinking that we could use a sharp mind like yours back home." Flaps smiled.

"Yeah, I think 'sharp' might be stretching it a little." Eclipse declared.

"Don't sell yourself short, kiddo." Flaps chuckled. "Griffonstone needs bright kids like you. In fact, my department is always on the lookout for such talent."

"Your department?" Eclipse asked.

"Well, I may not look it, but I happen to be the head of GHS. Griffon Homeland Security." Flaps smiled, as he then pulled out a small business card, "We help keep the Griffon Kingdom running smoothly. To gather and distribute information, and protect the capital's privacy and security. A department that always looking for bright and young minds. Like you for instance."

"Me? Yeah, right." Eclipse snorted.

"I'm serious." Flaps urged. "When you hit eighteen, you should seriously consider applying for work there. I guarantee you'd snap up a job easily. Any job you'd like, in fact."

The possibilities left Eclipse reeling. The young Griffon had always been smarter than he'd let on. But an upbringing from his biological father, Lunard (who favored brains over brawn), had forced Eclipse to bury that part of himself. Eclipse didn't want to show any kind of intelligence, fearing his father would denounce him as "weak".

Even now, when he was free from Lunard's brutality, he still preferred not to exercise his head muscle, as it wasn't exactly a necessity for his new life. His brawn was all he needed to work with, and that was just the way he liked it.

"If you'd like, I could add your name to our list of prospective candidates." Flaps offered. "Once you turn eighteen, they'll give you a call, put together a consultation, see what works for you."

"is that a fact?" Eclipse mused.

"So, what do you say?" Flaps smiled.

"It's a decent offer." Eclipse admitted. "But I'm gonna have to say 'no'."

"No?" The smile slipped off Flaps' beak. "Why not?"

"Maybe I don't want to spend the rest of my buckin' life explaining stuff to some folks." Eclipse scowled. "Or maybe sitting behind a desk just isn't me."

"Seriously?" Flaps snorted. "Because from the looks of things, you've got got some real talent. There'd be a place for you in my organization when the time comes."

"Trust me, that's not gonna gonna happen." Eclipse shook his head.

"But why" Flaps asked. "You've clearly got what it takes."

"No, I don't." Eclipse insisted. "Trust me, I'm not the guy for this."

"But why not?" Flaps urged. "You're giving up a big opportunity here, kid. You should at least tell me why you're doing it."

"Because it's just not in me." Eclipse insisted. "Especially considerin' my... lineage."

"Excuse me?" Flaps asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means I had a criminal thug for a dad, okay?!" Eclipse snarled. "He was a jerk, and a brute, and he treated me like garbage!"

"I'm sorry to hear that." Flaps apologised. "But what does that have anything to do with-"

"Because odds are, I'm going to turn out just like him!" Eclipse yelled. "Even though I hate him and everything he did, I'll probably become just as big a thuggish jerk as he was!"

"Hold on, I don't think that'll happen." Flaps declared.

"Of course it will." Eclipse scowled. "This sort of thing's usually hereditary. A big part of criminal psychology usually involves the parents being the same way."

"And you really think you'll turn out the same way as your father?" Flaps asked.

"It's pretty much a given." Eclipse sighed. "And you don't want a guy like me around, messing up your Homeland Security."

"I see..." Flaps sighed.

"Thanks anyway." Eclipse stood up. "And thanks for the drink."

"No problem, kid." Flaps lowered his head. "It's your life, after all. Too bad, though. You showed some real promise. You could've been a great agent. Shoulda known you were too good to be true..."

Flaps imbibed the last of his drink, slowly and ruefully. He hated to see a promising career snuffed out before it even started.

Eclipse returned to the homestead, depressed. Having been forced to bring out his greatest worries had that effect on him.

"Hey, Eek." Big Red smiled as he entered the house. "Kinda makin' a habit a' runnin' late, ain't ya?"

"Yeah, I ran into that Griffon again." Eclipse admitted. "It was at the bar. He asked me to sit down, bought me a drink..."

"Which sorta sounds a little creepy." Huckleberry remarked.

"It wasn't like that." Eclipse frowned. "He actually wanted to talk about what happened a couple of days back. He was impressed by how I saw the problems in those notes. So impressed, he offered me a job at the department of Homeland Security over in Griffonstone."

"Oh, my." Cherry gasped. "That is some kind of gratitude."

"Griffonstone?" Globe frowned. "Isn't that a little far away?"

"Relax, Globe." Eclipse rolled his eyes. "I wasn't offered the job for right now. Just when I'm eighteen."

"Still mighty impressive, though." Big Red declared. "A kid from Dodge Junction, makin' it big in the world a' poly-ticks..."

"Yeah, right." Huckleberry snorted. "Eclipse, one of those pen-pushing government types? As if!"

"Huck, be nice." Cherry admonished him.

"No, he's right." Eclipse told her. "That's why I turned him down."

"Turned down?" Big Red frowned. "Now why in the name of a cactus coyote's coccyx would ya go an' do it, kiddo?"

"Just look at me." Eclipse declared. "I am not some CongressGriffon. I'm just some kid who grew up on the rough side of things. The kind of kid who had a rotten dad, and will probably end up just as rotten."

"Now what in tarnation is this?" Big Red scowled.

"Come on, Eek." Globe frowned. "You're nothing like Lunard."

"Now, maybe." Eclipse pointed out. "But what about in a few year's time? I've still got a lot of bad memories of my time with Lunard in my head. Who's to say that won't totally mess me up one day, and make me turn out just like him?"

"That's crazy." Huckleberry snorted. "Even compared to the Congress thing."

"None of us are our parents, Eclipse." Cherry told him. "And I'm guessing Lunard never had a kind, loving family like you do."

"That's true." Eclipse nodded. Lunard had never been particularly talkative about his past, but Eclipse knew that he was the only child of a single mother, and had been raised in a rotten part of the Griffon woods.

"He never had brothers that he watched out for and protected, like you do for us." Globe smiled.

"Not all the time." Eclipse recalled the time when he had actually cut Globe's face in anger. "There really is a piece of Lunard in me."

"So, what of it?" Big Red asked. "Ah know you, Eek. Yer a good, honest, carin' young Griffon. And even if ya have sum a' yer pa in ya, that doesn't matter. There's a bigger part a' ya that's not yer pa, a part that could accomplish big things some day."

"Yeah, right." Eclipse pouted.

"It's true, Eek." Globe nodded. "I know you don't like to show it, but you are pretty smart."

"Sure didn't get that from Lunard." Huckleberry smirked.

"And you shouldn't be afraid to use those smarts." Cherry beamed.

"Darn tootin'." Big Red nodded. "Yer pa was jest some mindless thug. But you've got yerself a big ol' brain in that skull a' yours. Don't be afraid ta use it. Don't let the memory of yer rotten pa keep ya from reachin' fer the skies. Cuz yer already a better Griffon than yer pa could ever hope ta be."

"And if you actually want to be some government pen-pushin' guy, I guess I can support you." Huckleberry shrugged.

"We all will." Globe nodded.

"But..." Eclipse frowned. "But what if I still turn out like..."

"Just the fact that you're worried about it happening, means that it won't be happening." Cherry smiled. "You have a good heart, Eclipse. Something else Lunard never had."

"Yer yer own Griffon, Eek." Big Red declared. "Ya've got yer own future ahead a' ya. Don't let yer past ruin that."

"...Thanks, guys." Eclipse smiled. "And you're right. Maybe I won't turn out like Lunard, after all."

"We're all bankin' on that." Huckleberry grinned.

"I know that won't ever happen." Globe added.

"Not as long as ya've got yer family ta support ya." Big Red chuckled.

"You're right." Eclipse beamed. "You're all right. So no more worrying about what might be. The future's a clean slate, and I'm ready to draw up something decent."

"That's the spirit." Cherry patted him on the back. "Now all of you get washed up for dinner. We're having cherry taquitos tonight."

"Oh, boy!" Globe cheered.

As they prepared for dinner, Eclipse's mind was at ease. However, he couldn't help but acknowledge that his wariness had cost him what could have been a marvelous job opportunity.

'Ah well.' He shrugged mentally. 'It's not like it's the only job option I'll ever have. Besides, eighteen's still a while away. Plenty of time...'

After a delicious dinner, Eclipse went to bed that night with fond dreams of the future.

The next morning, he was back in town, about to make another grocery run. As he made his way through the streets, he spotted Sheriff Marshall Starr. As he turned to wave to him, he bumped into another pedestrian, one who felt familiar...

"Oof!" Flaps cringed as he stumbled backwards.

"Oh... hi, Mr Featherton." Eclipse declared. "Sorry about that."

"We've got to stop meeting like this." Flaps joked. "Glad I bumped into you before I left, though."

"So... your work's done over here?" Eclipse asked, suddenly noticing the briefcase Flaps was carrying.

"Yep." Flaps nodded. "Longest reform of my life... though honestly, those amendments you suggested for the bills didn't help... no offence."

"None taken." Eclipse shrugged. "Um, by the way... you know what we talked about yesterday? How you wanted to put my name on this list of prospective new recruits?"

"Yeah." Flaps nodded. "I remember you responding in the negative."

"Well, I've changed my mind." Eclipse revealed. "Now I'd like my name on that list. If it's not too late, of course..."

"I think I can swing that." Flaps smiled. "But why the sudden change of heart? What about all that stuff about you not being the right type for the job, and how you'd turn into a thug like your dad."

"I was kinda overthinking things then." Eclipse said sheepishly. "Luckily, my family managed to talk some sense into me. They helped me see that this is my life, and I'm going to choose how to live it."

"Good for you, Eclipse." Flaps declared. "And they say kids these days have no ambition... Anyway, I'll put your name on our little list the second I get back to Griffonstone. Once you hit eighteen, drop us a line. We'll see what we can do for you."

"Thanks, Mr Featherton." Eclipse smiled. "You won't regret it."

"I know I won't." Flaps grinned. "Your future's looking real bright, kid..." He suddenly checked his watch. "Well, I've got a train back to Griffonstone to catch. Beats flying the whole way... See ya around, kid."

"Here's hoping." Eclipse nodded. "Maybe you'll still be around when I join up."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere for a long time." Flaps smirked. "Except the train station. Bye!"

As Flaps dashed for the train station, Eclipse reflected on the events of the past few days. Through a chance encounter, and some help from his family, Eclipse had exorcised one of his greatest personal demons. He was now sure he would not turn out like his thuggish father. As long as he used the trait he had once thought useless - his mind - and had the love of his family behind him, that would never happen.

Author's Note:

Behind The Scenes:

* "Home On The Range" came into being after Ebony asked me if we could have Big Red and Cherry Jubilee having a foal of their own. I felt the couple were too old, so instead, Ebony suggested having them take in three troublemaking youths.

* Through flashbacks at the beginning and end of the chapters, we were able to build on the history of Big Red, White Knight Paladin, Black Knight Paladin, Cherry, and Marshall Starr.

* (Ebony Stallion) One thing I would had changed was the flashback at the beginning of "Father Knows Best", for I feel maybe a sad scene between Big Red and his father would had fit better, and set up the scene between them in "Project: Transcendence".

* Huckleberry is partially based on Huckleberry Finn. The scene in "Hidden Talents" where he tricks some kids into doing his work is lifted from Tom Sawyer. (Ebony: Yeah, I mistook Tom Sawyer for Huckleberry.)

* The "It's not your fault" scene was based on Good Will Hunting.

* (Ebony Stallion) In fact, Eclipse is inspired by the character of 'Will'.

* Fletcher (a creation of the Deviantart user Kilala - used with permission) was given a cameo in "Father Knows Best", as a prelude to his appearances in "The Napoleons". (Ebony: The last name Ulysses was my idea)

* The song used in the final chapter, "Where You Belong", was the theme for the TV series The Fosters, a TV series about a lesbian couple and their family of 'foster' kids.

Comments

[Skyfall360]

Yeah, I don't remember this