5. Strength Testing
Twilight pushed open the doors to the seldom used castle gym, looking around at what she had to work with. “Okay, first test, physical strength.” She began picking weight discs off their racks and setting them out in the center of the room.
You have everything here, don't you?
“Pretty much. There’s also a pool a few rooms over.” Twilight wrote the first weight amount she was going to try. Forty pounds. She lifted the disc with magic and walked over to set it on her back. She needed a few moments to get it balanced, but it wasn’t heavy at all. She put another forty pounds on. Still no issues.
Venom reached out with an arm, picking the four remaining weights and tossing them onto the first two.
“Wait, don’t-” Twilight’s legs shook slightly at the impact, knees bending instinctively to brace, but then she realized she could still lift this much. It was starting to feel heavy now, but not unbearably so.
240 pounds. Hah, that’s nearly your own weight! And here you are, carrying it around on your back.
She walked in a circle, and made notes in her notebook. Then she returned to the weights and began stacking the lighter ones on herself. She soon ran into the problem of not being able to balance them very well, but she was still at 300 when she stopped.
Why don't we actually put these on a machine? Or on a bar, at the very least.
That would be a better idea. Twilight agreed and checked out the machines, then began stacking weight onto a barbell. Once there were 300 pounds of metal on it, she slid under it and pressed her back up to the bar, lifting it from the bench and taking a few steps forward with it. Using her wings to help balance it, she did some squats.
Venom grabbed a few more weights, adding them to the sides. Then he stretched his head out to watch her. “You know, the bar itself is fairly heavy. We’re lifting around 350 pounds right now. True, you’re using your back and not your forelegs, but it’s very impressive. Think you can handle more?”
“Oh yeah,” she said confidently.
Venom ended up stacking nearly every weight disc they had onto the bar, until it ran out of room. And as Twilight began to struggle, his strength flowed through her, and she felt her muscles bulk up, body growing taller as he wrapped her in his skin.
“500!” they exclaimed, putting the bar back and doing some stretches. “See how amazing we are? And we can keep improving! We’re both strong, if we keep eating good and working out, I bet we could lift a tank!”
The skin receded, and Twilight shook her head, still trying to get used to the tingling. It felt like ants under her skin, but she wouldn’t call it uncomfortable.
She cleared her throat, still intrigued by how deep and guttural she sounded when Venom was sharing control. She wrote more notes, and said, “Yeah, I’ll probably work out more with you. So, that was overall leg strength… but I want to see how strong my hind legs are.”
“Of course! And we should definitely focus on those, because there’s nothing more satisfying than kicking your enemies across a room and hearing their spines shatter.”
“...I don’t know, you ever had a chocolate milkshake?”
“...That does sound very satisfying as well.”
Twilight loaded weight onto a leg press machine, deciding to start at 300 and go from there. She sank into the seat and put her back hooves against the press, pushing forward. It moved easily, and she did a few sets just to test how quickly her muscles would become fatigued, but this took almost no effort. She added another fifty pounds and continued.
Venom shared control of her body, and she was very aware of how he helped her stay on beat, pushing slowly and steadily. She didn’t mind his casual influence over her muscles, though. She sensed no ill will from him. He just wanted them to be stronger.
Well, she didn’t have anything better to do while she was exercising, so she decided to get to know Venom better. He was surprisingly open, filling her mind with images of his planet and people. While on Equus they were mostly shapeless and desperately sought hosts to survive, on their own planet they could live on their own, taking different appearances mostly based on personal preference. But some symbiotes still bonded with other animals on their planet.
He told her of the history of his race, how an ancient being once used them as conquerors before they fought back and overthrew him. But now their species was divided. The majority of them promoted peace throughout the universe. The rest, including Venom, remained conquerors and were constantly at odds with the rest of their species.
Why? Twilight asked.
Why? All this strength, and you don’t want me to use it for greatness? My race can do anything we put our minds to, we could rule the universe!
Right… but what do you gain from ruling the universe?
What do we… He seemed confused for a moment. Then he claimed, Power! Respect! We’ll own everything!
Okay, but you’ll be feared and hated. And everyone you conquered will no doubt conspire to defeat you. You’ll become just like that creature that controlled you. Imprisoned forever. Do you want that?
We won’t let ourselves be overthrown. If my whole species comes together as one, we’ll be unstoppable.
I see. So, let’s imagine you won, and you all rule the universe. Great. Then what?
He was quiet for a bit, then said, I hadn’t really thought about what I would do after. Explore, perhaps. See all my new planets, meet the local species and see what there is to do.
Then let’s cut out the middleman. Just go right to exploring. You’ll definitely be more accepted wherever you go if you haven’t taken over anyone’s planet, and they'll be much more willing to show you around, I bet.
He thought about that, and Twilight decided she was done exercising and hopped down, retrieving her notebook.
Perhaps. But my species is still naturally very… violent. Those peacekeepers are suppressing their natural instincts. I don’t believe in doing that. I want to be who I am, without having to rein myself in!
We all have instincts we have to control. Sometimes I get frustrated with somepony and have to resist that age-old instinct of just turning around and kicking them. Sure, it sounds like a good solution, it’ll feel good and shut them up, but it doesn’t actually solve anything. It’s better to work together and actually find a real solution. That’s something to be proud of. Attacking somepony is just gonna make me feel bad later.
Your kind does seem to prefer conflict resolution above actually fighting. And your society is fairly peaceful and happy. Except for the random villains you keep having to deal with. Seriously, can no one else on this planet fight?
Ponies can be very hesitant about fighting. My friends and I have gotten used to it, plus we’re bonded to the Elements of Harmony so we tend to get called on to solve problems. But I’ve seen my fellow ponies fight, if necessary.
I see. Well, your kind needs to be better prepared for conflict, so you don’t have to rely on six particular ponies that everyone knows about and thus can be taken out of commission first.
Right. I’ll get right on that. Twilight headed for the door.
You did make one good point though. Perhaps my initial plans were flawed. Having my people conquer and control yours would be fun, but I can’t see it doing much for us in the long run. Being friends with you, though, would be much more interesting.
Heh, I have always seen friendship as being one of the strongest magics in our world.
Please, I’m going to puke. Though… I will concede, friendship seems… nice. While I’m loyal to my brethren, we aren’t friends. In fact, they’re quite rude to me and just order me around. And I always just saw it as normal, but… being around you creatures has shown me there’s a different way to treat those around you, and it intrigues me. I’ve seen the things people will do out of fear. And I’ve seen what they’ll do out of affection for one another. Guess which has better results.
I don’t need to guess. I’ve seen what amazing things can be done when ponies have love for each other. And how awful it is when they’re ruled by fear.
Indeed. Being here really has opened my eyes. And your memories are filled with so many conflicts, solved with friendship. Very interesting. Though… not all were completely fixed by being nice. So, is the Storm King dead?
Uh… Twilight awkwardly rubbed her foreleg. Yeah. Yeah, while being turned to stone itself doesn’t kill you, he was shattered shortly afterward. Unfreezing him would have let him die an agonizing death as all his… body parts bled out. So Tempest, who understood how the spell worked, approached the pieces and used her magic to drain the life out of him, while he was unaware. If we could have saved him, we would have, but there was nothing we could do.
He was cruel. You did what you had to and now he can never hurt anyone again.
I guess. I just can’t help but be compassionate toward everyone though, no matter how evil. Except Tirek. Fuck him.
Whoa! Princess, language! Venom was laughing, though. All that hate just because he, what, burnt your old library?
It’s not just because of the library, though that pissed me off too. No, he nearly killed Owlowiscious! His blatant disregard for the lives and safety of others told me that there was no reasoning with him. He needed to be stopped, and I was willing to kill him to do it.
Mm, your hatred is delicious. Such a powerful emotion, isn’t it? Remember how strongly it pushed you to fight? I know your people see hate as a bad emotion, but it isn’t. It’s natural, and its purpose is to protect you from those that would harm you, both physically and emotionally. Let yourself feel, Twilight. Remember when you mentioned becoming a hero? We could do it. We could crush injustice. Destroy criminals. What do you say?
The possibilities flashed through her mind. She could see herself, one with Venom, fierce and proud as they protected countless ponies from evil. She wouldn't have to hold herself back. They could destroy those who sought to do harm, without any hesitation or risk of being caught. She could let herself fight dirty. As much as she appreciated being able to use the Elements of Harmony against those that were merely misguided or corrupted, she's always felt that some people were just beyond saving. They were truly evil and the best way to deal with them was to seriously hurt or even kill them. Which wasn't a very popular opinion in Equestria, hence why she kept it to herself. But Venom understood. And now she could take care of criminals as violently as necessary without anyone knowing it was her. She could be the greatest vigilante Equestria has ever known. But she couldn't yet. She still had her duties as a princess, and she still had to deal with Blazing Aura.
Right, yes, we'll deal with him. But after? I spent much of my life as a warrior, you know. I would hate for all that skill to go to waste, and you have such glorious plans for us...
Twilight sighed. After we're done with Blazing? Then yes, maybe we can use our power for good. Until then, we have more important things to focus on.
Of course. You want to test our cardiovascular endurance now, don't you?
Yes. You've enhanced my physical strength by an astounding degree. I want to see how well we can run, and as soon as we're done with that, we're going to write to Celestia.
Very well. Then let’s run.
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Due to how short chapters 5 and 6 are and how related they are to each other, I decided a double update would be best. Happy almost Halloween!
Happy almost Halloween to you too.
Twilight is now a body builder! Rainbow and AJ would not believe their eyes!
That part when Twilight thinks about how to deal with bad guys, I've the feeling she's being influenced by Venom... But Venom is taking a liking to Equestria's way of life!
Come to the Dark Side, Twilight Sparkle. We have chicken!
9250092
And chocolate chip cookies.
I like him not agreeing fully to the friendship think but liking the idea, I mean when she was talking about what kind of holy power that is.
Nice story, I kind of want Venom to scare them, I just want some strong reaction maybe even from characters who would normally not be that scared i guess.
Maybe he could come out so sudden that someone like Celestia or Cadance have at least a reaction more than lifting an eyebrow I mean.
Now that sounds as if I'm talking about the other story again, but that's not it.
Maybe you can do something to Halloween if it fits with what should happen in your story anyway.
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9250429
Chocolate AND chicken? hot damn i'm in, where do i sign up for my own symbiote
In comics Klyntars, in order to whitewash their species origins, did spectacular work of eliminating any mentions of this being (Knull). Klyntars of the later generations, including Venom, didn't know about Knull before evil god's return. However if in your universe they remember him, it makes things more interesting. Will Knull appear later on as antagonist? If he will, he is the threat beyond anything Equus' heroes ever faced. If you will include him, make his appearance in your story more Lovecraftian please, because in comics his looks are too humane for creature that predates universe and spawned symbiotes.
i.imgur.com/FPFti27.jpg
But most importantly of all, FUCK YOU!!!
9250000
And here I thought updates would be Scarce
9250092
“... Is it fried?”
Twilight: *bursts into song about the power of friendship*
Venom: wHAT THE FU-
Venom: *joins in the second verse*
man twi is weak i mean earth ponys can fucking pull trains for days when i saw that shit i was like the fuck?
9256998
I mean being an alicorn she can probably do that too, she just doesn't have access to a train in her gym. She kinda just. Ran out of things to lift. :')
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9256998
I think Earth ponies are using their magic to increase their strength to pull of feats like that, here, I think that Twilight is not using any earth pony magic, just her base strength.
9257869 ...I saw an opportunity to promote myself. I couldn't hold myself back. My fic tries to shed some light on that.
Fuck, I really need to learn restraint.
I feel like Venom was a bit too quickly convinced , Twilight too. Doesn't it take a bit more time to change how you see the world?
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Under normal circumstances, yeah, but from my understanding symbiotes tend to unconsciously influence their host to think differently, and the host can influence them right back. They more easily understand each other's ideals thanks to the bonding. But I can admit I kinda rushed things, yea
...then again Venom did too :') Guess I fell into the same trap
Oof, can you feel that mental manipulation? It's almost tangible!
9256998
Well, Twi isn't an Earth Pony. Also, I'm pretty sure Earth ponies don't have the strength to pull trains for days...
True, not really, and I guess.
You do realise respect is earned, right, Venom? And that the best kind of respect is not based on fear or outwards dominance, but rather...friendship? Acknowledging each others' strengths and weaknesses, and working together to boost the strengths and diminish the weaknesses?
As for "own everything", what's there to do once you do achieve that? You can own literally everything, but once you do, will that make you feel satisfied, complete? Or empty and hollow?
I dunno, I've heard slapping - and occasional punching - has had positive results before. Say someone's overly anxious, overthinking everything, and needs a good solid jolt to 'shock' them out of it; a slap's good at that, especially if the recipient is a friend and not a stranger.
As for punching, sometimes two friends need to have a little fisticuffs to settle their differences and blow off some steam.
Physicality isn't inherently bad or negative; just depends on the context.
9251020 I just reread this and got chills realizing he mentioned Knull, I hope the sequel with Carnage makes some foreshadowing of Knull trying to reach out again and Twilight has to help Venom and possibly the other symbiotes.
Let's not forget about chrysalis, cozy glow and king Sombra.
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haha, yeah when I wrote this I had no way of knowing how season 9 would go. hoo boy never mind all that
9849649
To be fair most people upon hearing about the show would likely assume you were joking if you said a small child was condemned to the prison of titans and then being petrified for who knows how long.
Wow thats pretty heavy Twilight but thats awesome
You did make one good point though. Perhaps my initial plans were flawed. Having my people conquer and control yours would be fun, but I can’t see it doing much for us in the long run. Being friends with you, though, would be much more interesting.
Heh, I have always seen friendship as being one of the strongest magics in our world.
Hey friendship is magic right lol
Oh yeah thats right I mean they didn't plan on turning him to Stone it was just he accidentally hit himself while Fizzy Pop stopped him knocking him down that one was not Twilight and her friends fault
I guess. I just can’t help but be compassionate toward everyone though, no matter how evil. Except Tirek. Fuck him.
Whoa! Princess, language! Venom was laughing, though. All that hate just because he, what, burnt your old library?
Whoa Twilight Sparkle
Dang I was not expecting that but then again he did ruin his chance alongside with chrysalis and cozy glow shame but thats what happen i mean look what happened to King Sombra as well he also got killed as well which we could have saved him to be honest but yeah you know 😥
Oh wow I kind of forgot that Venom can enhance your strength when you have the Symbiote I did remember watching the 1990 version Spider-Man it really alter your muscles so that's pretty awesome but it goes deeper to your emotion when it comes to anger and vengeful and I get it there's some villains you can't reason with them looking at Tirek cozy glow Chrysalis strom king and king Sombra but she can do good with this kind of power so far this was pretty good but I wonder if her friends knows about Twilight and her new ability
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This Twilight is an alicorn so she has the strength of an Earth pony. And heck, even when she was an unicorn we saw her carrying Tom, which would weight at least two tons. So as an alicorn with a symbiote she's very much pathetically weak if a few hundred kilos is supposed to be impressive. That actually only makes her about as strong as real life horses.
As well as Sombra and Chrysalis, but whatever (Cozy Glow doesn't fully count, because she still felt inclined to ask why she did it before she lost that sympathy).
Most delightful chapter. I hope after i read trough there will be a sequel or off shot?
Sequel is a great read even if its only 2 chapter and 1 clop. Than again i dont read the Carnage one... Yet.
I also know a good way to shut someone up especially if are men a nice strong kick to the nutsack a strong punch to the jawbone would work as well
Hehe