The third member of your party has arrived.
The steam room was steamy and roomy. The Ponyville Spa was almost always packed, but today was relatively slow. Only five ponies were in the steam room: two mares seated together, and three single patrons. All of the ponies looked relaxed and comfortable. Sure, the spa owners would have liked to see a few more ponies in there, but they were still happy that the smaller number of clients were enjoying themselves.
The two mares seated in the corner, conversing in hushed tones, were of course Fluttershy and Rarity. They reveled in the warmth of the steam and talked of small things. Rarity ran through potential lesson plans for her friendship students with Fluttershy. Rarity expressed her worry that topaz would be out of style next season, rendering her entire stock useless. As was usual when the two got together, Rarity did most of the talking, and Fluttershy did most of the listening.
“And on top of everything else,” Rarity finished with her usual dramatic flair, “I’ve had to squeeze Pony Tones rehearsals into my schedule, what with our performance coming up.”
Fluttershy looked at her blankly. “Performance?”
“Oh, dear, I was going to tell you,” said Rarity, waving a hoof. “You are, of course, an honorary Pony Tone. I just... know how busy you are, and this performance will be in front of a very sizable crowd, and you aren’t quite over your little stage fright problem...” She trailed off, looking awkward.
Fluttershy chuckled. “It’s okay, Rarity. You’re right—I have been really busy lately, and this performance doesn’t sound like the sort of thing I’d like at all.”
The tension ran out of Rarity’s face and she wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy in a one-hoofed hug. “I knew you would understand.”
“Of course, Rarity. What are the Pony Tones performing for, anyway?”
“I am glad you asked me that,” Rarity half-sung. “We are—”
But at that moment, the door to the steam room opened. Lotus poked her head in, calling, “Miss Rarity? Miss Fluttershy?”
“Over here, darling!”
“Ah, there you are,” Lotus said with a smile. “The third member of your party has arrived. They are waiting for you in the hot tub.”
“Of course,” said Rarity, getting to her hooves. “Come along, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy stood and followed Rarity out of the steam room. Rarity had never before invited a third pony on one of their spa days, much less without telling her. She wondered who could possibly be joining them.
She didn’t have to wait long for the answer. They arrived in the hot tub room in a matter of minutes. There, alone and already in the water, watching them expectantly was—
“Big Mac?” Fluttershy said.
“Eeyup,”he answered, giving her a soft smile.
“I hope you don’t mind,” said Rarity, turning to Fluttershy. “This week has been hectic, and so I thought, rather than trying to honor my two separate, regular spa rendezvous, I’d simply combine them into one.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” said Fluttershy. “It’s just not what I was expecting.”
She and Rarity slipped into the hot tub, each letting the warm, herb-scented water ease the tension the steam room hadn’t managed to take care of. For a short while, there was silence. Then, something registered in Fluttershy’s mind.
“Rarity?” she said.
“Yes, dear?”
“You said ‘two separate, regular spa rendezvous’.”
“So I did.”
“So you’ve been having spa days with Big Mac, too?”
“Indeed, I have,” said Rarity. “And there’s no need to sound so surprised. Stallions need pampering, too. Isn’t that right, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup.” He heaved a deep sigh of satisfaction and shifted his position slightly, sending little ripples across the water’s surface.
Fluttershy grinned. As off-guard as his appearance had taken her, there was no doubt that Big Mac was enjoying himself.
“Yes, we’ve been doing this for a few months now,” Rarity was saying, now leaning her head back so that a spa worker could file her horn. “One day, I said to myself, ‘I have been in the Pony Tones with Big Macintosh for such a long time, and I still do not know much about him at all.’ Well, I resolved to remedy that situation at once, and invited him to the spa one evening after rehearsal.”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed.
“Do you know, I more than half-expected you to say know?” Rarity said to him. “After all the trouble I had convincing Applejack to give this place a try, I suppose I had it in my head that you would be just as resistant.”
“Nope,” said Big Mac, with a chuckle. “Me an’ AJ are quite a bit alike, but not as much as some ponies think. For one, AJ goes a little batty when there ain’t no work to be done. Me, on the other hoof—” here he stopped to allow another spa worker to slather his face in a mud mask “—well, Ah know there’s time for work an’ play. If ya work hard, you deserve to play hard.”
“That makes sense,” said Fluttershy. She was looking at Big Macintosh almost as though she had never seen him properly before.
“I agree,” said Rarity, “and I do like the way you think, Big Mac.”
“Shucks,” said Big Mac, suddenly quite grateful for the concealing effect of the mud mask, as his cheeks felt a bit warm from Rarity’s compliment. He’d never two-time Sugar Belle, but he’d have to be blind and stupid not to notice how beautiful Rarity was.
“Oh, Big Mac,” said Rarity, now in the process of getting a mud mask of her own, “I almost forgot, I was telling Fluttershy about the Pony Tones’ big performance coming up. I’m so excited about it, aren’t you?”
“Eeyup.”
“You never did tell me what the occasion was,” said Fluttershy, her own memory jogged. The sudden appearance of Big Macintosh had driven Rarity’s news about the Pony Tones clear from her mind.
“Oh, yes! Well, the Pony Tones are performing at next month’s Lunar Eclipse Festival in Canterlot!” Rarity beamed.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac confirmed.
“Wow,” said Fluttershy, her eyes widening. “The one that Celestia and Cadance are organizing in Luna’s honor?”
“The very same,” said Rarity.
“That’s wonderful,” said Fluttershy, grinning right along with Rarity. “There’ll be so many ponies there to hear you sing. Probably hundreds.” Her grin slipped a little, and she gulped. “Maybe even thousands.”
“Darling, you seem tense. Is something the matter?”
“N-no,” Fluttershy said. “But you really were right not to tell me about the performance. I know you and the girls really want me to get over my stage fright, but I can’t ever see myself singing in front of that many ponies like you can.”
“It’s quite alright, Fluttershy,” said Rarity. She and Big Mac were now having their mud masks removed. The spa workers were getting ready to take the trio in for massages. “You’ve come so far already.”
“I guess so,” said Fluttershy, but with a downcast look.
She stood with the others and let herself be led into the massage parlor. She, Big Mac, and Rarity hopped onto the tables and made themselves comfortable, and their masseuses arrived shortly after. For a short time, the only sounds were groans of pleasure and instructions on which body parts to focus on.
Fluttershy felt her muscles all but melting under the capable hooves of her favorite masseuse. Still, she couldn’t stop something from eating at her mind.
“Big Mac,” she said, “how do you do it?”
He was in the middle of instructing his masseuse vehemently.
“Work the flanks, get in th—What was that, Fluttershy?”
“How can you get up in front of all those ponies and sing? I know you’re really shy—like me—but you don’t get stage fright like I do.”
Mac was silent for a few moments, apart from a barrage of grunts when his masseuse found a particularly tender muscle.
Finally, he said, “Well... this might not make much sense, but it’s the best answer Ah got. Ah guess, when Ah’m onstage, Ah don’t pay no mind to the crowd.”
“What?” said Fluttershy.
“I must agree with Fluttershy on this, Big Mac,” added Rarity. “How can you not think of the crowd? It’s practically all I can think of when I’m onstage.”
“That’s ‘cause you love playin’ to ‘em, Rarity,” he said.
“Guilty as charged.”
“And that’s fine for you. You’re a natural showpony. Somepony like me has to find their own way of bein’ comfortable on stage. Ah do that by ignorin’ the crowd.”
“Excuse me,” said Fluttershy, “but I’m still not sure I understand.”
“It’s like, when Ah’m onstage, Ah just pretend Ah’m singin’ in my room, or makin’ up a tune to make my work go faster,” he said. “Bein’ in front of that many ponies is like bein’ in front of nopony. Ah can get mighty shy in one-on-one talks—just ask Sugar Belle—but them ponies in the crowd might as well not even be there.”
“Big Mac, I must say you have a very unique way of seeing things,” said Rarity.
“Eeyup,” he said. “Ah just hope unique is good.”
“Unique is wonderful,” said Rarity.
“It is,” said Fluttershy. “I still don’t think I could do what you do, but it’s very interesting to know how you do it.”
Silence descended upon them once again, only broken by grunts and sighs and the sound of hooves kneading tired flesh. Rarity’s masseuse focused on her neck, where she carried most of her tension. Fluttershy hummed in approval as her wings were tended to. Big Mac rumbled his pleasure as his overworked legs turned to warm jelly under his masseuse’s hooves.
“Big Mac?” Rarity said after a while.
He grunted to show he was listening.
“I just realized that Fluttershy has never heard the story of how I recruited you into the Pony Tones. I thought it might interest her to know how you got involved in our singing group. You don’t mind if I tell her the story, do you?”
“Nope.”
“You do want to hear this, Fluttershy?”
“Certainly.” Fluttershy’s ears perked with curiosity. Ever since she’d first sung with the Pony Tones, she’d found herself wondering how Big Mac had joined.
“Well,” Rarity began, “I had already been in the Pony Tones for some time, and our leader, Bass Clef, had made me his de facto second-in-command. All was well, and we got through our performances swimmingly, until one day Bass Clef told me he thought it was time he retired from the Pony Tones.
“As you can doubtless tell from his name, Bass Clef wasn’t just our leader, but our bass voice. He gave us plenty of notice of his intention to retire, but even so, it was impossible to find somepony to fill his shoes. Toe Tapper, Torch Song, and I were beside ourselves. A lot of stallions can attempt a bass voice, but very few can do it consistently enough to perform.
“At that time, we were booked fairly solid for a couple weeks, and our first performance was bearing down on us. As the Pony Tones’ new leader, I really did not wish to have to cancel, and tarnish our reputation.
“With this thought weighing heavily upon me, I came one day to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack and I—”
“Excuse me, ladies, gentlecolt,” said Rarity’s masseuse, “I do believe your time is up.”
“Already?” said Rarity. She sat up from the massage table, stretching her limber and pampered muscles. “I must say that was heavenly.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” the masseuse said, “but we do have other ponies waiting.”
“But of course,” said Rarity.
Big Mac and Fluttershy stood and followed her out of the spa. Soon they were outside, blinking in the sunshine, watching the flow of hoof-traffic in the nearby town square. Rarity turned to Big Macintosh.
“You know,” she said, “I’m sure Fluttershy wants to hear the end of this story, and we’d love your company. Would you like to join us for a cup of tea?”
Big Mac considered for just a moment before nodding.
“Excellent!” said Rarity. “I know a fabulous little tearoom just near here.”
In less than five minutes they were seated outside The Warming Mug. A waiter appeared to bring them the drinks they had ordered. Big Mac sipped at a coffee (which he had always much preferred to tea). Fluttershy blew on a steaming mug of green tea. Rarity took dainty drinks of an imported Prench tea. Fluttershy looked at her companions curiously, eager to hear the conclusion of the story. They continued to do nothing but drink their drinks, however, and so she decided a little nudge was in order.
“Um, the story, Rarity?”
“Oh, of course, where is my mind?” She set her mug down. “Now, where was I?”
“You were just about to come to Sweet Apple Acres,” said Big Mac.
“Right, right, thank you.” She cleared her throat and continued.
“As I was saying, I was at Sweet Apple Acres to help Applejack. She had wanted to me to help her make Granny Smith a new bonnet for her birthday. I of course thought it was a lovely idea, and I was coming to show Applejack some of my preliminary designs.
“Apple Bloom came out to greet me, and I was just about to ask her where Applejack was, when I heard something. Coming from just over the hill was a rich, deep, beautiful voice—exactly the sort of singer I needed for the Pony Tones!
“I forgot all about Applejack and followed that voice. Apple Bloom tagged along, I’m sure wondering just what had come over me.”
“Ah don’t mind tellin’ from here, Rarity,” said Big Mac, adding a dash of cream to his coffee.
“Be my guest.”
He looked at Fluttershy and said, “Ah was just out workin’ the fields that day, mindin’ my own business. Normal day, far as Ah could tell. Maybe warmer than some, but that’s about it.
“And, y’know, sometimes it can get mighty borin’ out there, so Ah started singin’, not thinkin’ nothin’ of it. It’s somethin’ Ah been doin’ since Ah was a colt. It’s somethin’ Ma used to do when she was out workin’. Guess Ah sorta picked it up from her.”
Fluttershy thought she saw something flicker in his eyes, but she thought it better not to mention it. She looked across the table and saw that Rarity was watching Big Mac closely, too. It was hard enough to get Applejack to mention Bright Mac and Buttercup, and neither of them had ever heard Big Mac talk about his parents at all.
Big Mac went on, “But yeah, Ah was singin’. It weren’t nothin’ fancy, probably weren’t even really a song. I was just out there goin’ bum bum bum-ba-da-dum,” he vocalized. He took a long swig of coffee.
“And Ah’m just lost in my own world, and Ah don’t notice Rarity and Apple Bloom comin’ up to me. Ah don’t notice until—”
“Until I started applauding,” Rarity finished.
Big Mac flashed a sheepish grin. “Eeyup. Then Ah look up, my face just about as hot as a griddle at breakfast time, and Ah see ‘em watchin’ me.
“Now, AJ and Bloom know Ah sing, but Ah don’t reckon they ever thought much about it one way or the other, me bein’ their brother and all. Ah suppose Ah never thought much about it, either. Ah thought it was just somethin’ I did. Never even entered my head that my voice’d be worth clappin’ for.”
“But it absolutely is,” said Rarity.
“Oh, yes,” said Fluttershy.
Big Mac felt his face getting warm again. “Thank y’all. Ah know it’s immodest, but Ah gotta say, Ah never get tired of hearin’ that.”
At this, they all dissolved into a fit of laughter. Rarity snorted into her tea in a most unladylike fashion, which only made Big Mac and Fluttershy laugh harder. It took them a few minutes to collect themselves.
Big Mac swiped at tears of mirth with a hoof and said, “And that’s when Rarity asked me to be in the Pony Tones. Ah started rehearsals that very same week.”
“I bet you were great right from the start,” said Fluttershy.
“Nope. Ah was awful.”
“It’s true,” said Rarity, fighting back a fresh round of giggles. “He was so nervous, his throat tensed up, and he couldn’t sing a single note.”
“Goodness, that sounds bad,” said Fluttershy.
“It was, but Ah got better,” said Big Mac. He gazed into his coffee cup, seemed to come to a decision, and drained the rest of it in one long swallow.
“That is also true,” Rarity affirmed. “Of course, I knew you had the potential in you all along. You just had to learn how to cope with your stage fright.”
“Eeyup, and Ah did, eventually. What Ah told y’all back at the spa, about ignorin’ the crowd, that’s what Ah had to teach myself. It was hard, real hard. But—and Ah’m sure y’all know this—the best way to learn somethin’ is with baby steps.”
Both mares nodded.
“Besides,” said Big Mac, “it was worth it. Ah had to give myself a chance to let other ponies hear my voice.”
“You certainly have a voice worth hearing,” said Fluttershy.
Big Mac smiled. “Ah think most everypony has a voice worth hearin’, when you get right down to it. They just gotta find their own best way to be heard.”
Author's Note
I was thinking about the Pony Tones (who, by the way, should totally get to have another appearance before the series ends), which started me thinking about Big Mac. I started wondering how he brought himself to sing up on stage, and how he got involved with the Pony Tones in the first place.
I guess this story is my attempt to answer that for myself. I hope you guys enjoy it, too. Admittedly, it's a bit fluffy, but I don't think fluff is always necessarily a bad thing.
