So, this was how it was all going to end, Discord thought as he stared up at the ceiling. All of his work, everything he had put into this...it would all be for naught. All because he was pinned by this heavy metal bar, and his arms just gave up whenever he tried to lift it!
"Hrrgh," he grunted, making another attempt before his muscles quivered and went limp. The dumbbell handle fell back onto his chest, and he grunted as it pushed air out of him. He groaned loudly out of frustration, his voice echoing down the hallway.
"Discord, are you alright?" Fluttershy called back. "Where are you?"
Discord flinched, gasping. She was home from the sanctuary earlier than he had expected, and he had wanted to surprise her! But if he didn't answer, she would start to worry... "...I'm in the gym!" he called, grunting and huffing as he tried to lift the dumbbell off. He had to do this legitimately, that was the whole point of this! But it still refused to budge.
He could hear her galloping through the hall to the gym. She rushed through the door, her face full of worry. "Discord, I'm here! What hap—" she said, before becoming speechless at what was before her eyes.
There were several hoof weights of various sizes scattered throughout the floor. Towels were strewn across most surfaces, damp with sweat, and empty water bottles rolled about. Discord was currently laying on his back on a cushioned bench in the middle of the room, trapped underneath a dumbbell that had three large, circular weights locked in on each side.
"Losing...energy..." he gasped dramatically, his arms wobbling as he tried to push it off of his chest.
Fluttershy quickly approached him, trying to lift the weights off of her husband. "Can't you...remove them with your magic?" she panted, struggling with their weight.
"But then I won't...get stronger!" he panted. He slumped against the bench, sweat pooling under him as his tongue rolled out of his mouth. "...but maybe sixty pounds was a bit much..."
"But Discord, your safety and health are more important!" she said. "Get out of this right now, please! Or...or if you're too tired to use your magic, I can bring someone to help you!" She turned around, ready to go and look for help.
"No, I can get out!" he said quickly. If their friends heard about this, they'd laugh at him forever...especially Rainbow! He made one last attempt at lifting the dumbbell. When that didn't work, he sighed and snapped his tail feathers, teleporting to Fluttershy's side.
She grabbed one of the nearest towels and handed it to him. "What made you want to do this, anyway?" she asked, still looking at him with worried eyes.
He frowned, accepting the towel and patting sweat off of his brow. "...well, I wanted it to be more of a surprise, but..." He lifted his lion arm and flexed. A tiny bicep bulged up, and he looked to her with a grin.
She smiled at this action. "So...you wanted to be bulkier? I thought you liked the way you look." She raised one eyebrow.
"Of course I do!" he said, holding his head high and puffing out his chest. "I am a gorgeous specimen, and we both know it." He flexed both arms, trying to strain the muscles in his torso, as well. The abs he was hoping for still weren't there, and the bicep of his eagle arm wasn't nearly as impressive as he wanted. "I just figured...you might like it if I had a little more muscle mass."
"But why?" she said. "I like your noodle body. And...this." She flew up and brushed his fur with her hoof, blushing slightly.
"My fur?" he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I mean...my coat's a little thicker than a pony's. Especially here." He gently held her hoof close to his chest, where his fur was the thickest. "It is magnificent, isn't it? But you don't want a pair of strong, bulky arms to wrap around you in a cliched way, like they do in your romance novels?"
"Discord, your arms are already much stronger than most ponies'. You don't need to have bigger muscles. I love you the way you are, and the way you look." She gently nuzzled into his chest, closing her eyes.
A light pink blush formed on his face, his ears wriggling. "...thank you, Fluttershy," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling the top of her head. "So...no changes you'd want to make when it comes to me? Nothing at all?"
"Nope," she said. She lifted her head and pecked his lips.
His tail wagged, and he closed his eyes, lightly returning the pressure of the kiss. How lucky was he, to have fallen in love with someone who was practically perfect, and wouldn't change a thing about him?
After they pulled away for air, she gave him a knowing look. "Let me guess. You suddenly wanting to have bigger muscles has something to do with Spike teasing you about it again?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Yesterday was O&O Night, and today I find you in the gym..."
"...maybe," he admitted. "I mean, come on! Even if he doesn't say anything, he's practically showing off! You know most of the mares working in the castle are ogling him. Probably a couple of the stallions, too."
He glanced at his much thinner arms, "...I know my arms are basically sticks. Spike knows it, you know it...I just thought some muscles would impress you and shut up that...stupid, handsome, bulky face of his."
She chuckled. "To be honest, I'm not that surprised. When he was younger, most of the other dragons teased him and made fun of how small he was. Though he probably means it in a much more friendly way with you."
"Yeah, yeah, it's all in good fun. But he definitely got lucky once he really started to grow," Discord said with a nod. "...plus, I'm pretty sure he started hitting the weights pretty hard once he was big enough."
"You know...if you want, we could have some exercise sessions together once a week," she suggested. "I wouldn't mind improving my condition."
"You don't have to change a thing about yourself, either, you know," he said, pressing his cheek against hers and giving her a gentle nuzzle. "But...doing it together might be fun. Especially if we can do something a little more interesting than just sitting around lifting heavy stuff."
"What do you mean, Cordy?" she asked, looking at him with curiosity.
"I mean...could we do more exercises like the ones for buckball training?" he said. "Those were at least a little interesting."
"I guess that wouldn't hurt," she said. "But don't overdo this." She glanced over at the sixty-pound dumbbell still laying on the bench.
"I won't, I won't," he said, drawing an X over his heart. "...but you'd better not push yourself too hard, either!"
"Don't worry, I won't," she said, smiling and kissing his cheek.
He smiled, leaning into the kiss. "...well, since you've saved me from being trapped forever under that," he said, pointing at the dumbbell, "Why don't we just take some time to relax? Perhaps with some cold, fruity drinks?"
"That sounds lovely," she said. "We could make them together."
He smiled and nodded, holding his paw out to her. She placed her hoof on his palm with a grin on her face. He gave her hoof a gentle squeeze, snapping his tail feathers to teleport them both to the kitchen.
Fluttershy went to the fridge and opened it. "Let's see...we have some oranges, grapes, mangos, and bananas, as far as I can see."
"Ooh, how about some orange-mango-banana smoothies?" he suggested, pulling the fruits out of the fridge and juggling them all in the air.
"I think that sounds tasty," she said, licking her lips.
He snapped his tail feathers and summoned a blender with ice inside, each of the juggled fruit plopping directly into it and leaving their peels hovering in the air. He quickly snapped the lid on top, and the blades began to quickly turn, slicing the fruits into liquid. She smiled and watched as he worked.
Once the blender stopped, he quickly poured them two large glasses, topping them with little paper umbrellas and neon straws before handing one to her. She took it from him and began to sip. "Mm, it's wonderful!" she said.
"So glad you approve," he said. "...so, would you say smoothies are a quicker way to your heart than sweaty skin and strong muscles?" He chuckled.
"Maybe," she said with a tiny giggle, smiling teasingly.
He grinned. "Well, then...just let me know if you need that topped off," he said, posing with the blender in his hand and flexing.
"I will," she said with a snicker at his antics.
He sipped at his own drink, smiling and coiling his long body around her. Just for her, he used his magic to fluff his fur up a bit, since she liked it so much.
She sighed with pleasure as she nuzzled into his fur. He reached up and buried his claws in her mane, scratching right behind her ear while still sipping his smoothie. Knowing that he could make her happy with small gestures like this...it made his chest feel light and airy.
...muscles were overrated, anyway.