The train station in Manehatten was bustling, as always. The city always seemed alive with activity, no matter what time of day it was. Sitting in a reserved seat in the express train to Ponyville were two rather excited stallions. One an older, grey unicorn sitting across from a younger, and much larger, black earth pony. The older pony was rifling through a large stack of papers and note books. Writing down various notes and double checking previously written ones, he gazed up at the seemingly laid back earth pony. “So Brutus, ready for the grand opening of the new arena? This was your idea, after all.”
Brutus let out a slight chuckle, leaning forward on the table. “Yeah, this is going to be a big thing, mark my words! Opening this new venue up is gonna bring in a whole new wave of fans! Not to mention some possible new talent. We need this expansion in the worst way. And with Ponyville getting as much publicity as it has been recently, I can’t think of a better place.”
A smile formed on Straight Shot’s wrinkled face. “That’s true, but to my knowledge, Ponyville hasn’t really shown any real interest in wrestling since the days of Plow Boy Roy. What makes you think this’ll change anything?”
Brutus took one of Straight Shot’s notes from his stack, labeled ‘competition’. “Look at these numbers Straight. The crowd that went to see the Mystery Mare and Sneaky Pete’s match, at least twenty percent of that crowd came all the way from Ponyville to watch it! Just imagine how many will come to see us after we get set up there!”
Straight Shot held up his hooves in mock surrender. “Okay, I’ll admit, you’ve got a point. Being practically in the middle of Equestria has it’s perks. Now, let’s go over this new competition one more time…”
*******************
Big Mac was just finishing up the last of his daily work, when he heard the all too familiar voice of one of his sister's friends. From the rapid pace of the speech, he guessed it was Pinkie. "Hey Big Mac! Have you seen the new BIG building being built in town? I mean, it's SUPER BIG! Not like a castle, but still it's really big!" If left to continue, she'd continue until either she'd run out of breath (not likely), or the person she was talking to went nuts (very likely). So, he always found a way to be prepared for a Pinkie Pie moment.
"E'yep. I'm helping with the construction. It's s'posed to be a wrestlin' arena from what Ah gathered. The pony who put in the work order paid a whole lotta bits to get it done quick for some big thing they got planned." This didn't have the desired effect like he was hoping. Pinkie had that excited look in her eyes again.
"Oh oh oh, a wrestling arena! When's it gonna be done?! When's it gonna open?!” Pinkie was literally bouncing with excitement!
Before Mac could answer, a grey pony interrupted. "With ponies like your friend here helping, it'll be up and ready in no time!" He trotted next to Big Mac, with a big smile on his face. "The name's Straight Shot, owner and CEO of Equestria Wrestling Alliance. I wanted to come thank you in person for all the help you've given, Mac. And, as a token of my appreciaton, I have a special offer just for you!" He took his saddle bags off, reaching into one to pull out a piece of paper. "This here is a special contract, just for you. In honor of our grand opening, I'm holding a special competition for every pony here in Ponyville. It's a tryout tournament, for amateur wrestlers. The winner gets 1,000 bits and a contract to wrestle in my compay, and a chance at winning 10,000! Normally the entry fee would be 100 bits, but since you've been such a huge help in the construction of the new arena, I'm waiving the fee. What do ya say big guy?"
Big Mac took the paper from Straight Shot, reading it over. "I dunno, it's a good offer, but I've never even seen a wrestling ring in person, let alone wrestled in one. I'd have to think it over."
Pinkie got even more... well, Pinkie. "Ooh ooh, you should totally do it! It'd be soooo cool seeing you wrestle all those other ponies and winning that tournament and winning all those bits and..."
The older stallion chuckled a bit, seeing the overly energetic pink pony bouncing with each word. "You must be the one and only Pinkie Pie I've heard so much about. The best party pony in all of Ponyville?"
Much to Big Mac's relief, Pinkie's attention was drawn towards the older stallion. "Yupperoni, that's me!"
Before she could continue, Straight Shot pulled another piece of paper from his bag. "You're just the pony I need for this job then. I need you to be the lead planner for the grand opening party. I want nothing but the best, and I just know you're the pony for the job!" Before he could even hand the paper to Pinkie, she was already bouncing all around, giggling the entire time. "A party? Of course I'll do it! Party! Woohoo!"
She took the paper from Straight's hoof. He wasn't sure sure how one pony could have that much energy, but he was sure enough happy that she seemed energetic about the job. "All of the specifications and requirements for the party are on that paper. If you have any questions, I'll be at the arena site during the day."
"Okie dokie Lokie! You'll have the best party ever with me at the lead!" With that, she bounced off.
"The same goes for you Mac. If you have any questions about my offer, I'll be down at the arena. Think it over, and let me know." Straight started to leave, pausing for a moment before he did. "This is a once in a lifetime chance here Mac. I'd hate to see you let it pass by."
As Straight Shot was leaving, Applejack was coming down the road, with Rainbow Dash not far behind. Big Mac was reading over the contract when they came up to him. "Who was that fancy lookin' pony Mac?"
"Said his name was Straight Shot. He's the one who owns the new arena." His eyes didn’t leave the paperin his hoof.
"Ah'm guessin' he came by to thank ya for helpin' with buildin' the place?"
"E'yup." Nodding, he handed the paper to his sister. "Gave me this, too."
Applejack looked at the contract, shaking her head. "That's a might pricey there. Think you can afford that fee?"
Dash was reading the paper over Applejack's shoulder. "Yeah it's kinda expensive, but look at that prize! We all know Big Mac could win that easy! I'd help pay for some of the fee to see him kick some plot!"
Mac shook his head. "Nope, he told me since Ah've been such a big help gettin' the place done, he'd wave the fee."
Rainbow Dash's face practically lit up when she heard that. "THAT'S AWESOME! You should totaly take him up on that man! It'd be sooo cool!"
"Ah'm inclined to agree, Mac. Ah think you'd win this."
Big Mac shook his head. "Ah dunno, Ah've never even been in a ring before. Plus there's still my work here Ah gotta worry about. Am just not sure Ah got time for this wrestlin thing."
The screen door to the Apple Farm house swung open with a bang. "What's this Ah hear about wrasslin?" Granny Smith made her way onto the porch, giving a stern look towards the others.
"Big Mac was offered a chance at a wrestlin competition, Granny!" Her old face lit up with nostalgia hearing Applejack mention the tournament. "Ah remember the good ol' days of wrasslin! Once a year pa would save up enough to take us kids to Manehattan to go see the big matches! Like 'Pretty Mane' Lane fightin' for the title 'gainst good ol' 'Plow Boy' Roy! Them were the days!"
Dash leaned in closer to Granny smith, with a smirk on her face. "What would you think of Big Mac becoming a wrestler?"
"Ah'll tell ya what, if'n he did, I'd be right there in the front row rootin' for him! Ah think he'd make a fine wrassler!"
Applejack started to chuckle, nudging her brother. "See? Even Granny thinks you should go for it! And look, it says here all participants get trainin' before the tournament! You should go for it!"
Big Mac knew none of them would let him be until he said yes, most of all Granny Smith. "Eeyup."
*******************
On the following day, about mid-afternoon, Big Mac went to the nearly completed arena. The last of the decorating work was almost complete, and looking rather impressive. A line was forming outside of the entrance, some of them familiar faces, some he didn't recognize. One he most certainly didn't know walked towards him. An earth pony with a red coat and a black mane styled into a mohawk and a blue and orange fireball for a cutie mark. "Hey big guy, signing up for the tryouts?"
"Eeyup. Straight Shot told me to come see 'im."
"Oh, you must be Big Mac then! Yeah, follow me, I'll take you to him. By the way, I'm Fire Ball." They walked through the arena, Fire Ball basically holding a one sided conversation with Big Mac about the "wrestling business". Eventually, they came to an office door. "Well, here's your stop. He's in there finishing up his paperwork. Just go on in."
With that, he left. Big Mac stood there for a minute, thinking this over. 'Do I really want to go through with this? Am I really cut out to be a wrestler?' He shook his head, as if shaking the doubts out of his mind. 'I done told Granny and AJ Ah would. Besides, they believe in me, so I should to!' With that, he opened the door. Straight Shot looked up from his desk, a smile forming on his face.
"Well if it isn't Big Mac! I guess you're here to take my offer?"
"Eeyup."
Straight Shot rifled around his desk for the form he had made up for Big Mac, finally pulling it out of a stack in front of him. "That, my boy, is the best news I've heard all day! Look this over, sign the bottom and we'll get you all set up."
Big Mac read over the form. Six weeks of training, something called 'dark' matches and then final cuts. He picked up a quill in his hoof and signed his name at the bottom. "Great! Now the first thing we need to cover is your training gear." He handed Big Mac a voucher. "Here, take this to the Carousel Boutique. The pony there will take care of you. From what I hear, she's the best around. By the time you get back I'll have your training schedule made up."
*******************
The sight that greeted Big Mac when he got to Rarity's wasn't quite what he expected. For a pony that goes to nearly insane lengths to look good, she sure didn't take much time to straighten her shop up. "Ok darling, let me just get your measurements and I'll be done in a jiffy! Now you're sure you don't want anything more extravagent? This is just so...plain."
"Eeyup."
Rolling her eyes, she levatated her measuring tape to Big Mac, taking down all of his measurements. "Now you sit tight darling, I'll be done in a flash." She began working her magic, quickly assembling a fairly simple white singlet and a pair of matching boots for is hind legs. "There you are, one full set of training gear. If you decide that you want something with more style, just let me know and I'll give you my very best!"
"Eeyup."
A short time after he left, the door opened again. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, how can I..." The words escaped her mouth as she saw one of the biggest ponies she had seen in a long time. Almost, if not as big as Princess Luna! His fur was jet black, fading to a light grey at the hooves. His cutey mark was a dumbell, wrapped in blue flame. She could see his muscles ripple as he removed the saddlebags from his back. "Ahem, pardon me, I don't believe we've met. I'm Rarity." She held out her hoof in an exagerated feminine style.
"I'm Brutus, and it's a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young mare! And if your tailoring is anywhere near as remarkable as your beauty, I know I've come to the right place." Brutus gently took her hoof and gave it a gentle shake. She was used to compliments, but not quite this well-spoken. Her face was starting to glow a light shade of pink through her white fur.
"Well Brutus, what can I do for you today?"
Brutus took a pair of older wrestling boots from the bag, both looking rather worn and one with a hole in the heel. "I need to have these stitched up for tomorrow night. Is that.."
She grabbed the boots with her magic and quickly disposed of them in the nearest trash can. "Oh darling, these will simply never do! No no, I will make you a brand new pair!"
She began working on a new pair immediatelly. The end result was nothing short of amazing! A high gloss black material, perfectly hidden straps, high quality stitch work and just the perfect height up his legs! "Wow, they're nothing short of perfect Miss Rarity! What do I owe you?"
She simply waved him off. "Oh please, just call me Rarity, darling. And consider this on me. I'd like to see how they hold up tomorrow night."
With a grin, Brutus grabbed a ticket from his saddlebag. "Well at least accept this then. I'll be in the main event."
Rarity took the ticket from Brutus, not one to seem rude. Wrestling seemed rather barbaric to her, but she wasn’t one to make such a social faux pas as to turn down such a generous gift. "Well, I guess I'll see you there then!"
*******************
"Alright, looks like you're all set and ready to go." Big Mac was standing in one of the ring corners, with Straight Shot on the outside. "To start, you're gonna train with King Pin there. He's gonna teach you how to fall right so you don't get yourself hurt." King Pin was certainly not small by regular pony standards, but seemed fairly short compared to Big Mac. But this green pony dripped with confidence.
Smoothing back his yellow mane with one hoof, King Pin gave Big Mac a grin. "Ready to start?"
Big Mac streched his front legs, getting ready for his first lesson. "Eeyup."
"Alright, first thing we're gonna do is an arm drag takeover. Just flip forward, kinda tuck your head down a bit and let your feet land first to help pad your fall. Don't want to buck your back up by landing directly on your flank. Like this." King Pin did a front flip, landing just as he instructed. "Got it?"
"Eeyup."
King Pin put his foreleg under Big Mac's, lifting up as he jumped forward, landing almost flawlessly on his first attempt. And the second, even the third and fourth. "Hey, you're pretty good at this so far! Let's try some other moves now."
"Ah knew this was a rough sport, but Ah didn't think Ah'd wind up this sore from the first day!" Big Mac was laying back in a tub in the locker area, soaking his sore muscles from the day's training. King Pin dropped a towel on the rack next to the tub.
"Yeah, it's tough, but I gotta admit, you did better today than expected. I think you may be ready to learn the actual moves and techniques within a day or two, at least." Once his back felt a little better, Big Mac slowly got out of the tub and dried off. "And if you have more days like this, I think you'd be the hooves on favorite to win the competition!"
Straight Shot came into the locker room, grinning from ear to ear. "I agree, you did real good tonight kid! Head on home and get some rest, we're gonna start bright and early in the morning." The walk home was long, mostly due to having to walk a little slower than normal. But Big Mac felt a sensation that he usually only gets from working on the farm. He felt happy.
Author's Note
My first chapter in my first mlp fanfic ever! Comment and let me know what you think, what I should fix, ect.
