“A manager? I thought you—” Fluttershy stared up at the garish red and gold mask that covered Big Mac’s face. “Uh, nevermind, but I don’t know anything about finance or… or accounting, or—”
Big Mac held up a hoof and chuckled. “It ain’t that kind of management. All you gotta do is tell ponies why they oughta come see me wrestle.”
Fluttershy looked away for a moment, frowning. “But… I, um… I hope this doesn’t sound mean, but why don’t you just tell ponies to come and see your matches yourself? Why ask me?”
“’Cause I ain’t no good at talkin’ to ponies.” Big Mac sighed, then slowly pulled off his mask and stowed it back in his saddlebag. “I tried just standin’ by the road and flexin’ a lot, but the foals just laughed at me. Eventually, Mayor Mare came by and asked me to move along. Said it was only a matter of time before somepony called the guard.”
Fluttershy reached up to rub the stallion’s shoulder, then stopped. Her hoof wavered for a moment before she patted him gently a few times. “That’s terrible. I’m sure you were really impressive, and if you’d just had a little while longer, everypony in town would be there to see your match.”
Grinning, Big Mac pointed at the pegasus. “See? That’s what I mean! I’m feelin’ better already ’cause you always know just what to say.”
Color leapt back into Fluttershy’s cheeks.
“If you’d been there, I’ll bet this big crowd would have formed up, and you could’ve talked me up real good while I showed ’em my stuff! Watch this!” Trotting over to a large rock, Big Mac crouched down and wrapped his hooves around it.
“Oh, Mac!” Fluttershy held up a restraining hoof. “That’s too—”
A deep growl rumbled its way from the stallion’s chest. Fixed on the horizon, his eyes bulged as he gritted his teeth and strained. For a moment, the rock resisted, but inch by inch, his trembling rear legs forced his body into an upright stance. Big Mac’s were lips pulled back into a fearsome snarl, and he snorted twin jets of steam from his nostrils.
“Don’t!” Fluttershy started forward, then stopped. Finally, she settled for covering mouth with her hooves. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”
With a roar, Big Mac flexed again and lifted the enormous rock over his head. His whole body trembled under the weight, but he continued long enough for soil falling from the boulder’s underside to lightly layer his muzzle. His eyes flicked over to where Fluttershy half-crouched, mostly hiding her eyes behind her wings. “Ain’t… nopony… stronger.”
Fluttershy nodded, her eyes wide and fearful. “Okay! Now please—”
Grunting, Big Mac tipped forward slightly and allowed the large rock to fall. It hit the ground with enough force to rattle their teeth. “So whaddaya say?” He blanched when Fluttershy scowled up at him.
“I can’t believe you!” Fluttershy wagged a hoof at the stallion. “I come all the way out here in the dark because I thought you… that you…” She swallowed. “Well, I didn’t think this is what you wanted to talk about, and then you do something crazy like that!”
Big Mac blinked. “Crazy? That?”
“Yes, that!” Fluttershy took to the air and flew over Big Mac. Hovering, she hesitated for a second, then lightly ran her hoof over his spine. “Your poor back. You need to be more careful, mister!”
Looking away, Big Mac nodded. “See, that’s the problem. AJ thinks that, too, and that’s part of why I’m in this fix. I ain’t no good at talkin’ to ponies, but even if I did say somethin’ to ’em, they’d know it was me. Then Applejack would hear about it, and I’d get it for sure.”
Fluttershy landed, then sat. “Um, well, what’s wrong with that?”
Big Mac sat across from her, lowering his head to look directly into Fluttershy’s eyes. “Shy, you know AJ, right? You know how crazy she is about hard work and chores and such, right?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Well, how do you think she’s gonna take it if she hears that her big brother, who she relies on everyday, is off riskin’ his body in some fool sport?”
“Well, she’d probably say something like—” Fluttershy tried to approximate Applejack’s country twang, failing remarkably “—Big Mac, have you lost your ever-lovin’ mind?”
“Eeyup, but she’d probably have some different words in there. The kind that Granny Smith used to wash our mouths out with soap for sayin’.”
Fluttershy hid her spreading grin behind a hoof. “She gets so nervous whenever she has to talk to Princess Celestia or Luna because she’s afraid something’s going to slip out.”
“See? That right there’s the problem,” Big Mac replied, shaking his head.
Fluttershy’s brow furrowed. “I-I’m sorry, Big Mac. I’m not sure what you mean.”
“The Apple Family ain’t had too many chances to rub elbows with royalty over the years, but all of a sudden, Applejack’s with some princess more than she’s at home. Seems like every week there’s some crazy thing goin’ on that she’s got to attend to.” Big Mac sat, then lowered his head to look Fluttershy directly in the eyes. His voice fell to a whisper. “Fluttershy, we’re fallin’ behind on the bills, but Applejack don’t know it. Granny Smith’s keepin’ it from her ’cause Equestria needs her. We’re all tryin’ to pick up the slack, but you’ve seen her in those fields.”
Fluttershy nodded.
“She’s like magic out there. Ain’t nopony like her.” Big Mac bit his lip for a moment, looking away. “I thought maybe we could ask the princesses for some bits to cover when Applejack’s away, but Granny Smith’s dead set against it. She says the Apple family ain’t gonna take charity. We had some real nasty fights about it, truth be told, but we made sure to do it when Applejack was out and Apple Bloom was already in bed. It ain’t their problem, but it’s a problem all the same.”
A trembling hoof made its way to Fluttershy’s chest. “Oh, Mac. I-I didn’t know. I’ll talk to Twilight, and we’ll get something worked—”
“No!”
Fluttershy squeaked and leapt into the air.
“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Big Mac said, wincing. “I didn’t mean to yell, but it won’t work. Applejack’ll get wind of it, and she’ll have to choose between family and her new job helpin’ y’all. It ain’t fair for her or anypony else to make her do that. I got it all worked out, though. If you’ll help me, that is.”
Slowly drifting back to the ground, Fluttershy shook her head. “I’d… I’d love to help, but I don’t think that it’ll work.”
Big Mac’s face clouded over. “Huh? Whattaya mean?”
“Well, I’m away just as often as Applejack. I wouldn’t be able to help, either.”
A relieved grin spread across Big Mac’s face. “That’s the best part, though. It don’t matter when you’re gone. We can spread the word about my matches when you’re around, and I can take care of business in the ring all by myself.”
Fluttershy looked away. “You don’t want me to go with you?”
“No, I ain’t sayin’ that,” Big Mac said, throwing a hoof out. “If you ain’t on some kinda Equestria-savin’ mission, I’d love to have you at ringside. I’m just sayin’ it ain’t strictly necessary. Once the talkin’ part’s done, I’m good to go.”
Fluttershy smiled up at the stallion. “Oh, Big Mac, you just need to believe in yourself a little bit more. We’re having a lovely conversation. You’re doing just fine.”
“I know, and that’s ’cause you make me feel so comfortable!” Big Mac tugged at has yoke and swallowed hard. “You… well, like I said, you got this thing about you that makes a pony feel like he can trust you. I’ve probably said more to you tonight than I say to all the other folks in Ponyville in a year.” Reaching out, Big Mac took Fluttershy’s hoof in his own. “That’s why I picked you, Fluttershy. You’re really good at this talkin’ stuff, and I’m real good at the wrestlin’ part. We’d be great together!”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed crimson. “Um…”
Big Mac stared down at Fluttershy for a moment, then nodded. He gently placed her hoof back on the ground. “Sorry. I’m real sorry. It ain’t right for me to put all this on you. I just thought maybe you’d want to, but there ain’t no hard feelin’s. I know you’re just as busy as AJ, so you got your own things to look after. Thanks for talkin’ to me tonight.”