//------------------------------// // Chapter 7E // Story: Millie // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// “LIFT!” The stallion in front of me struggled with the weight bar, his muscles weak from so many bench presses. I roared in his face again, providing just enough motivation for one more rep. As he shakily reached the top, I hooked the bar with my talons and set it back on the rest. The pony went limp and sucked wind. From his lying-down position he managed a smile. “Heh, thanks Gilda.” I looked down at him as I leaned over the bar. “Just work harder, Tock. You don’t want me to keep babying you.” Tock was a watchmaker or something. No idea why he wanted to be buff, but I don’t ask customers questions like that. If he wanted to improve himself, that was good enough. My name was called from across the gym and I walked away. A pegasus needed a recommendation for wing pushups. I may have been a griffon, but I went to flight school with ponies. “Start in sets of twenty. If you get to one hundred, take a break and then start in with sets of ten.” “Hey, thanks,” he said. I gave him a look and turned away. Newcomers to the gym were surprised to find me employed there. Who would hire a pissed-off griffon to terrorize customers? Working out takes motivation. I won’t shoot the breeze with you. I won’t take it easy. I want you to succeed; that’s why I’m not your friend. It was sometimes hard to turn off the attitude outside of work. Lately, I had been barely bothering to. Maybe that cost me some companionship. Not like I had loads of friends to lose anyway. I spent most of the afternoon sparring with a few boxers. I may not have had the weight and power of a pony, but my reach was a lot longer. A hardened beak can take more abuse than a nose, too. After a few rounds, they thought it would be funny to put me up against a minotaur. He was pretty big and had some training. It didn’t matter much. The fight lasted about a minute, but I decided not to knock him out. The gym was for training and learning. Beating a practice opponent senseless wouldn’t accomplish anything. At lot of exercise training is about application of force. You only use the right amount to accomplish your goal whether it’s boxing, martial arts, or just going for a jog. Every so often, however, it’s important to really test yourself and find out how much you could use. Know your upper limits, but always be working to raise them. There wasn’t much on my mind as I showered before leaving work. I put on my winter gloves to protect my talons from the snow. I headed for The Metronome. There were a few decent music clubs around, The Metronome being the most convenient for me. They were all dark, quiet, and relaxed. I was rarely bothered by other patrons. The clubs were good places to sit and think after a day of exertion. I had almost reached the jazz club when I remembered Octavia’s announcement the previous night about the fashion show. I stopped, grumbling in annoyance. It looked like I wasn’t going to get to relax tonight. Time to find something else to do.