Rainbow Dash's Unstoppable Ego

by MagicS

North Pole VI

Rainbow Dash lifted up the heavy dumbbell with her hoof, laying sideways down on a bench, and brought it all the way up so it was parallel with her face. Sweat glistened off her brow and she grunted as she managed the feat before letting the dumbbell back down and dropping it on the ground. That was fifty reps all at once just with her right front leg and she had already done the left leg before that. She now lay on the bench, panting and sweating, resting for the moment until she could start a different workout.

It was funny to her that normally she wouldn’t bother with something like this but she really wanted to win that tournament and she had to make sure her entire body was as strong as possible since flying was off-limits. That took away her biggest advantage after all. She mostly always punched and kicked with her hooves anyways but it was going to be different not being able to buzz around whenever she wanted. She knew she wasn’t as quick just on the ground either, so she’d probably have to do some running and stuff to make her as agile on four legs as she could.

“Wooh...” Rainbow Dash said and sat up on the bench, she was at the outdoor workout area that Sia’Lorna had told her about yesterday, it was only a few short hours after Dash had gotten registered.

Sia’Lorna herself wasn’t here but Dash saw a number of strong and tough looking Reindeer that she figured were probably competitors in the tournament. Mostly bucks but there were a few doe too. Like what Rainbow Dash had come to expect from Reindeer they looked friendly but kept to themselves and their own training. It was pretty crowded here with several dozen fighters and bodybuilders taking up space, Dash for the time being could only use these free weights she had been lifting but there were several machines she wanted to try out. And a bench press with an adjustable barbell that was screaming her name. Unfortunately that was in use at the moment too.

Bulk Biceps would love this place. Rainbow Dash grinned as she thought of her overly-muscled friend.

Rainbow Dash hopped off the bench and took a slow walk around for a moment, thinking of how best to maximize her workout time. She was no stranger to working out thanks to the regimen and training she went through as a Wonderbolt but she wasn’t an expert in muscles and stuff like that either. Usually what she did was fly to her limit and maybe do some wing push-ups. Nothing that really helped her out here.

That did give her an idea though; why not just do regular push-ups? Do an Applejack style workout. She knew the farmer didn’t really exercise exercise since her work naturally kept her in shape but she still did some stuff occasionally. And all she had were her four legs to work with, Rainbow Dash could just emulate her friend now.

She also planned on going swimming later today, using that pool on top of the communal center’s roof. Full body workout, great cardio exercise, that’s what she had always heard about swimming. Right now though it was time to beef up her muscles. Rainbow Dash saw someone leave one of the machines and walked over to it. It was a type where it had ropes tied to some heavy weights and you sat down facing away from the weights and pulled on the handles at the ends of the ropes to lift the weights. Rainbow Dash sat down where she needed to and grasped the handles over her shoulders and started pulling them one by one. It worked out a different set of muscles than just lifting the free weights, she could feel a lot more being utilized than just some in her legs whenever she curled one of those dumbbells.

Rainbow Dash grinned, this was a good exercise. She was really getting the best out of her time by being here. It was a little to light for her though so she adjusted the weights to make it even heavier.

“Now we’re talking! Time to make this a real workout!” She started pushing herself fast and hard enough on the machine that she was almost in danger of straining herself. But Rainbow Dash knew her limits and she also knew she was in practically the best shape a pony could be. She definitely wasn’t going to do something embarrassing like accidentally hurt herself or pull something before the tournament.

Soon she was sweaty and getting sore all over again so Rainbow Dash stopped on this machine and took another rest. Where was a machine that she could use to exercise her back legs with?

She saw one that a very muscular buck was currently using. He was lying inclined on his back and with his back legs was pushing a heavy metal sheet that had several weights slid on behind it. It looked like he was pushing at least a couple hundred pounds like that. Rainbow Dash grinned, that was going to be her next thing. And she bet she could handle even more weight than him, she might not be able to buck like Applejack but she was pretty proud of the strength in her back legs too. The only problem was that there was a little line for that machine already. She clicked her tongue and trotted on over to it anyways, she still needed to catch her breath after all.

The Reindeer she ended up standing behind in the line to use the leg machine glanced back at her and smiled. “I haven’t seen you around before, are you here to compete in the tournament?”

“Yep!” Rainbow Dash happily smiled back at him. “You too?”

He shook his head. “No, this is just my regular exercise spot, but the buck currently on the machine is a competitor.”

Rainbow Dash took a harder look at the muscular buck, he definitely looked strong but his muscles weren’t crazy like Bulk Biceps, she could take him. “Guess everyone has the same idea for getting ready for the tournament.”

“More or less. There are other places in Nogt, and some of the more seasoned competitors have their own personal routines and trainers,” the helpful Reindeer said. “Truthfully I’ve always been interested in the tournaments, I probably pay more attention to them and the competitors than most Reindeer.”

“But not a fighter yourself?”

“No, I don’t have the talent for it. My passion ends with watching.”

“I guess that’s why you’re talking with me instead of leaving me to my own business like most Reindeer?” Rainbow Dash asked.

His eyebrows suddenly shot up and he seemed dismayed. “Oh! My apologies for my impertinence, I didn’t wish to be invasive.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on!” Rainbow Dash waved her hooves around. “I didn’t mean it like that or anything, I was just saying.”

“Oh,” he smiled lightly again. “My mistake then, just you being a pegasus pony and a competitor… I got a little too excited.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Hey dude, no problem there. I’m pretty awesome so I get it. Actually it’s kind of refreshing to have one of you guys actually talk to me.”

“Then I am glad I made the decision to.”

The two ended up chatting a little bit until it was first his turn to use the machine and then hers, once he had finished he wished her well and headed off in the direction of a spot for bench pressing. Then Rainbow Dash got to some serious work on her back legs. She put on extra weights and made sure she was showing off to everyone around. The mechanism came down at her quickly and her legs almost buckled under the weight but Dash grit her teeth and pushed it back, she was sweating after just one push and a vein was popping out of her neck but she kept going and going for it.

She would be sore tomorrow thanks to not really exercising these muscles this harshly normally but she didn’t care. As long as she was in tip-top condition for the tournament that was all that mattered and Rainbow Dash was making sure she was prepared for it. The weights came down again and Rainbow Dash strained for a second before pushing them back up, she didn’t have the chance to spare a glance at all the Reindeer around here but she bet they were impressed with what she was doing.

After another few presses she finally got off the machine and let the next Reindeer get their workout on it. Her legs wobbled a bit as she walked but that was only a good sign to her. While everyone else continued working out here, Rainbow Dash looked in the direction of the communal living center.

“Okay… let’s hit that pool now.”

---

Rainbow Dash took a large gulp of air as her head shot out of the water and she came to a stop at the pool’s edge, having just finished going ten laps in it. This was a much easier, but very efficient, workout compared to what she had been doing with the weightlifting and exercising machines. There were several lanes made from floating dividers in the pool and she had one all to herself, with the pool itself being about a hundred feet long. There were other Reindeer swimming in it but most of them looked to just be using it for fun. In fact the only creature she saw who was explicitly exercising was a wolverine with a nasty expression on his face. He charged up and down the lane he was in like a madman and Dash didn’t have any intention of starting up a conversation with him. He was probably here for the tournament too.

She took another deep breath and went for a few more laps of freestyle, gliding through the water as cleanly as if it was air. Oftentimes she would use her wings when she was swimming but not now since just like before all this training was about exercising the rest of her body. She couldn’t rely on her wings this time, they could strike, block, and parry, but she wouldn’t be able to win a fight against serious opponents just by using them. Her legs would be stone and her muscles bands of iron for the tournament.

Rainbow Dash decided to go all out and completed another ten laps in total before pulling herself out of the pool and shaking herself dry. It would still be light out for a few more hours by her guess and she wanted to talk to Ark’Nogt and see if he had any better ideas for preparing for the tournament. Or potentially find Sia’Lorna and ask her the same.

The pegasus cracked her neck as she went to the door that led back into the building. Her body was screaming at her in that intensely good kind of way it does after a real, heart-pounding exercise. She’d have to come back to the pool again, maybe with either Ark’Nogt or Sia’Lorna so she could race someone. Making a competition out of the exercise would make her even more enthusiastic about it. Rainbow Dash knew from personal experience that she could push herself much harder and perform better when she was actively competing against someone.

A grin broke out on her face. “This is gonna be great.”

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter!

Is there going to be a exercise competition chapter?