Burn that Stuff
“I’ll start off nice and slow, and then pick up the pace as time goes on.”
Twilight happily lifted herself onto the running machine, fully ready for her workout. The attire she was wearing complimented the situation well, all of it being courtesy of Pinkie Pie. She was allowed to borrow the outfit the pink pony used herself, sweatbands included. The alicorn was covered in a full set of gear, ready to begin burning those calories.
Pinkie Pie just watched from the sideline, ready to egg on her friend. She observed as Twilight was covered completely in her own workout gear, somehow managing to fit the same dimension sizing at the same time, considering what set her off in the first place.
A small purple aura could be seen forming around Twilight’s horn and a setting on the treadmill, as it sprung to life. The sound of the machine activating could be heard as the black conveyer belt started to move, rather slowly.
Twilight began to trot in place, getting used to the pace before moving on.
“Woo! Go Twilight!” Pinkie yelled from the side, already getting excited.
“Pinkie, it hasn’t even been ten seconds. And it’s on the lowest setting” Twilight replied, continuing her slow trot.
“I know, but it’s so exciting!”
Twilight sighed, while she still had a chance. “I haven’t even sped up yet.”
“Then speed up already!”
“Pinkie, this is my workout, and I will decide how fast I want to go ok?”
Pinkie Pie shrugged. “I still don’t know why you’re doing this.”
As if she was Twilight’s worst enemy, Pinkie Pie received a deathly glare. Twilight had twisted her head around to face Pinkie Pie, while still trotting on the spot. “You know full well why I’m doing this.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t make any sense!” the pink pony said, trying to make some form of sense.
Twilight just grunted, before using her magic to set the speed slightly higher. The sudden speed increase finally made her realise how uncomfortable Pinkie’s clothes were, mostly due to the fact that there were no holes in the sides for her wings. But she had already started, and she wouldn’t stop.
“Oooh, going faster already?” Pinkie Pie edged closer towards the treadmill, eyes remaining on Twilight.
“Yeah. Might as well get down to it. I won’t lose any pounds on the lowest settings.”
“But you don’t need to lose any pounds.”
Twilight ignored the plea/compliment and just resumed her progress. She could feel the muscles in her legs already starting to work. That was a good sign for her.
Several minutes went by, while the two mares only engaged in some light-hearted conversation. Every now and then, Twilight used her magic to increase the speed of the machine, working her just a little bit more. After only a few of the minutes, she was already feeling the sweat come over her. She wore the sweatbands for a reason, and even the one on her forehead started to absorb some of it.
She could sense her breathing becoming more rapid and noticeable. She could also feel the increase in heartbeat as her body demanded the oxygen supplies.
Pinkie Pie kept spectating her friend wear herself out, while some part of her wanted to work out as well. Shame that Twilight took her own gear, otherwise she’d join her.
“If you get your own clothes Twilight, we could have a race!” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down, enjoying her own idea.
Twilight halfway remained focused on her now jogging phase as well as paying attention to Pinkie Pie. “This isn’t... a game you know.”
“I know. But a race would be fun!”
Twilight grunted for the second time, not exactly proud of why she is working out in the first place. “I’ll think about it” she replied, to finally satisfy Pinkie Pie’s crazy ideas.
“Yay!” The pink mare would have thrown confetti or fired her party cannon if she had it with her, but she wouldn’t do that while Twilight was beginning to run anyway.
Twilight let out a loud exhale, the first of many to come to her. Setting the speed up another level, it wasn’t the only thing that happened.
For there was a knock on the library door. Unfortunately, Spike was out, and Twilight was preoccupied. “Could you... answer the door?” she asked Pinkie, who obliged and bounced off.
Twilight wouldn’t know who would have been knocking, as she was too busy at the time and too far away. Hopefully, it would just be a pony returning a book that was overdue. Or perhaps it was-
“SHE’S WHAT!?”
The booming voice made her groan. She knew that the guest to the library was now Rainbow Dash, and she would just love to see her in this situation. But she remained in her workout, determined to lose weight.
“I’ve gotta see this!” Twilight heard the voice getting louder, firmly confirming it was really Rainbow Dash. She could hear hints of laughter already descending the stairs, and she hadn’t even been seen yet.
That changed though, when Rainbow Dash entered the gym room. There in front of her, was Twilight Sparkle running on a treadmill, wearing Pinkie Pie’s getup. Sweat was falling from her head, almost at the rate of fully dripping. Part of her mane was covered in the sweatband on her forehead. Her legs were really going at it, working those muscles.
It wasn’t long before she burst out her laughter, enveloping the whole room in her uncontrollable action. Never would she have imagined seeing Twilight Sparkle working out. Ever.
Twilight was not amused by her presence. She knew the pegasus would rub her nose in this situation as much as she could. But she remained strong, even increasing the speed up another level.
“What’s going on here? Why’s Twilight running on a treadmill?” Rainbow Dash had a huge smug grin as she asked her questions.
“I have no ide-“
“Pinkie called me fat!” Twilight blurted out, while continuing to face forwards.
Rainbow Dash held in another chuckle. “What?”
Pinkie Pie jumped over next to Twilight and did not look happy. “I did not!”
“Yeah you did.”
“Did not!”
“Whoa whoa hold it,” Rainbow Dash added, “Let me get the full story here.”
Pinkie Pie turned to face Rainbow Dash. “I told Twilight she’d gotten a bit bigger.”
Twilight used the opportunity to pitch her side in. “Exactly! You called me fat!”
“But I meant since you became an alicorn. You’ve grown slightly taller than the rest of us.”
“No! I’m not big!” Twilight turned towards Rainbow Dash, hoping for some assistance. “Help me out here.”
Rainbow Dash just smirked. “Sorry, Twilight, but I’m on Pinkie’s side. You are slightly bigger.”
Twilight didn’t say anything, but raised the speed of the treadmill by two levels instead, putting more pace into her exercise.
“You’re convinced you’ve packed on a few pounds, and want to shed them off eh?” Rainbow Dash shot a knowing glance at Twilight.
“Why... are you even here?” Twilight asked while gritting her teeth.
“I got bored, so I was wondering if you wanted a flying session. I gotta tell you, I’m not bored anymore!” Rainbow Dash sparked up and laughed menacingly. “Oh this is perfect! Be right back!”
Rainbow Dash ran out of the room in a flash, eager to head off somewhere. Twilight didn’t know what the pegasus would be up too, but only that she didn’t like where it was going. She was starting to feel the slight burn of her progress, as her legs were beginning to work their best.
“I didn’t call you fat...” Pinkie spoke, almost whispering. Her ears were down and she was looking down at the ground. She knew Twilight either didn’t hear her or just ignored it, but she kept optimistic. She truly didn’t mean it, but Twilight took it to a different length.
“...Pinkie,” Twilight got out after a moment of silence, causing Pinkie to perk up again, “Could you give me... some water?”
Pinkie Pie beamed as she grabbed water in no time, presenting it in front of Twilight. “Here.”
“Could you... dip it in?”
Pinkie Pie was right to raise an eyebrow at why Twilight carried on running and then just opened her mouth wide. It took her a moment to get the message, before she poured the liquid slowly into the gaping mouth.
After a mouthful, Twilight swallowed the heavenly fluid and sighed, whilst remaining on the move. “Thanks.” The gratitude put the smile back on Pinkie Pie.
But Twilight almost tripped over when an ear-breaking noise went through the room. Both mares turned their attention to the sound, which Twilight quickly came to the conclusion was her doom.
As the being neared towards her, her eyes kept widening in horror, wishing she had never found out. But the other being stood in front of her machine and grinned. “Rainbow, what are you doing?”
Rainbow Dash, who was now wearing a red whistle around her neck and a black cap, did only what came to her. “I’m going to be your personal trainer of course.” She then looked around the gym room, finally realising something. “Why is there a gym in the library anyway? And how comes I never found this place?”
Twilight shrugged while keeping up her progress. As if she was going to know the minds of the architects.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had this room? I’d be here all the time!”
Twilight just presented a deadpan look towards Rainbow Dash. “Why do you think... I never said?”
“Yeah well... BLEH!” Rainbow Dash blew a raspberry at Twilight, before picking up her whistle and blowing it in hard. “Now move it!”
Twilight furrowed her brow deeply. “Stop it. You’re not my trainer.”
Rainbow Dash smiled with a corner of her mouth. “Oh yeah? You want everypony to see that flab of yours?”
Twilight’s irises shrunk at the implication, afraid of what Rainbow Dash was saying. “No...”
Rainbow Dash stomped a hoof on the ground. “Exactly! Now move it fatty!”
Twilight seemed to slightly snap. “What. Did. You. Call. Me?”
Rainbow Dash met Twilight’s staring gaze, leaning forwards as she did so. Moving a hoof over the treadmill’s controls, she grinned again. “You know what I said.” With no trouble, she pressed the manual control for the speed control up two levels. “I want to see you burn!”
Twilight seemed to struggle to catch up with the sudden speed increase, but remained strong. She wasn’t worn out yet, but she was really panting at times.
Pinkie Pie tapped Rainbow Dash on her shoulder, gaining her attention. “Do you really think this is the best idea?”
Rainbow Dash seemed to scare even Pinkie Pie with her current facial expression. “Unless you want to join her, you will not question me. Am I clear?”
“I do want to join in, but she’s wearing my clothes.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Why not lift some weights then or something?” she asked, in a mocking tone.
Rainbow Dash remained focused on Twilight’s progress, before she heard a noise behind her. Twisting around, she saw Pinkie Pie sat on a bench with a set of weights behind her, with the current setting on the highest level it had.
“Pinkie! Stop!” Rainbow Dash brought up her whistle to blow on it, before she just witnessed the impossible. She just watched Pinkie Pie bench press a weight that should have been impossible for her. The whistle just fell from her hanging mouth, utterly speechless. And all Pinkie Pie did afterwards was face her with a smile.
“...How?” was all Rainbow Dash could ask before she had to shake her head. She wasn’t there for Pinkie Pie anyway. When she took her attention back to her new subject, she saw that Twilight was bearing a grin.
“Surprised?”
Rainbow Dash groaned in response, before closing the distance between them. “Shush! Just for that...” She put the speed level up once more and even added an incline.
“No! Not the incline!”
Rainbow Dash stood there satisfied again, before rearranging the cap on her head. She took a moment to look at the now galloping alicorn in front of her, the sweat clearly showing. Her face had turned shades of red, and she was getting to her max.
Twilight was now panting openly, with it showing. Rainbow Dash could hear her breathing. “Is this it? Come on Twilight, you’re better than this!”
Twilight had only moved her eyes to look at Rainbow Dash when she spoke.
Rainbow Dash, now aware of the look, deliberately turned away from Twilight. “So Twilight, how many calories were in that cake you had the other day?”
A small muffled noise escaped from Twilight’s lips. Rainbow Dash’s grin grew.
“I’ll bet it was a lot. It sure is noticeable you know.”
Twilight joined where Rainbow Dash was pointing to, which led her to her flank. She was quick to give Rainbow Dash a dirty look.
Rainbow Dash met Twilight’s expression, before leaning over and turning the speed level up again. “Come on!”
“Grrr....”
“I bet even Fluttershy could race circles around you! Maybe if you didn’t eat cake all the time, then you wouldn’t be so fat!”
Twilight looked like she was about to combust on fire. As a result, Rainbow Dash noticed that Twilight had sped up the movement of her legs, quickly upping the speed of the treadmill to adjust to the alicorn’s speed. Insulting Twilight is what was getting her to push further, which was her goal.
Twilight could feel the burn within her. Her heart was pounding inside, and she could feel her pulse with every beat. The strain was soon coming to her, as she felt struggle forming inside of her. Her legs wouldn’t be able to carry on for a whole lot longer.
“Come on!” Rainbow Dash shouted, before slamming a hoof on the treadmill, “More!”
“Don’t you think she’s had enough?”
“Pinkie, I’m the athlete here. I know when a pony can’t take any more.”
“But she’s can’t take anymore.”
Rainbow Dash turned back to Twilight, who almost looked like she was pleading for it to stop. She rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Hmm.” She pressed another incline and speed level increase.
“Stop!” Pinkie Pie protested, “Twilight please just stop it!”
“She can’t.”
“Why not?”
“She’s running too fast to concentrate her magic. She’d have to do it manually, but she can’t stop.” Pinkie Pie tried to press the manual stop button, but Rainbow Dash pushed it away. “Give it thirty seconds. Ok?” She followed up by lowering the speed down a few levels.
Pinkie Pie remained on edge. She didn’t want to wait thirty seconds of Twilight struggling just to run. Rainbow Dash on the other hand, wasn’t even taking notice. She looked at her hoof, as if she was analysing it. It was the sort of thing she imagined Rarity did often.
“Ok.” Rainbow Dash had mentally counted thirty seconds in her head, and pressed the stop button as she said. The conveyor belt of the treadmill started to slow down, while the purple alicorn had to reorganise her speed accordingly. Before long, it had come to a halt, and Twilight leant on the side handle straight away, panting from exhaustion.
Her tongue was stuck out, and she was burning up. Her breathing had exceeded normal volume while she just struggled to keep up. She lifted her hoof up to wipe off some sweat the sweatband on her forehead hadn’t gotten, before noticing just how hot she had become. She let out one last exhale, before attempting to take her first step off the treadmill.
And then she collapsed as soon as she took the first step. Her hooves gave out and she crashed onto the floor, groaning from the impact. Her hooves absolutely refused to carry on. The fourth princess of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn specialising in magic, was exhausted and flat on the floor in a mess of drenched sweat covering her clothes.
Pinkie Pie rushed to her side straight away, to make sure she was alright. She put her hoof to Twilight’s forehead, also noticing how boiled she had become.
“She needs a shower, and then a rest.”
“But she can’t even stand!”
“Pinkie, we’ll just have to take her there then.”
Rainbow Dash joined to the other side of Twilight, wanting to know how her personal training had gone. She took a look at Twilight’s figure, as if she was going to criticise every detail. “Hmm, not bad Twilight.”
Twilight lifted her head and tried her best at a smile, not reaching anything close to Pinkie Pie’s levels. “...Thanks.”
Rainbow Dash stood there, proud of what had happened. “Yeah, not bad at all. For your first session that is.”
Twilight looked in horror up at Rainbow Dash, who seriously looked like a villain to her. “F-First!?”
“Of course,” Rainbow Dash replied with no trouble, “Did you think you’d be fine after one run? This is only the beginning! Don’t you worry; I’ll get you into shape in no time.”
Twilight’s lips began to quiver and wobble; almost making her want to cry, but she had no energy to do so. She did have enough energy for one thing though.
Planting her head fully on the floor, realising just how good the floor was for sleeping on.