PUMPING IRON

Today was a normal day at the Crystal Palace... or it would have been, if Cadance hadn't stayed up all night in her "Shipping and Handling Room", complaining angrily about how a pair of people "Just didn't make ANY CELESTIA-DAMNED SENSE!" As she stomped around in her Room, Shining just sat on the bed and sighed heavily. "Cady, why don't you just leave it for a little while and come down for some breakfast? You've been in there all night. At least come in here and take a nap for a little while."

Cadance finally stopped her grumbling about the pair and exited her little slice of Elysium, or Tartarus in this case, and plopped down on the bed next to Shining. Her reward for finally coming out of the Shipping and Handling Room was a series of non-stop kisses from her beloved, which calmed the Pretty Pink Pony Princess and gave her something else to think about. "Aww, Shining, stooop~" But they did not stop; in fact, the frequency of kisses doubled, which in turn made Cadance giggle at her goofy husband. "Okay, okay, I give! Stahhhp~ I'll take a nap for a little bit, and then I'll get something to eat, I promise."

"Okay honey, I'll stop... for now." That comment earned Shining a playful smack from his wife, "Ow. That hurt," Shining said, with the straightest of faces to ever exist, which didn't last more than a second. Shining and Cadance both burst into a fit of giggles, during which one of the maid staff came into the room. She was a cyan Crystal Unicorn mare with lime green mane and tail, purple eyes, and a simple "sparkling effect" cutie mark. As soon as she entered the room, she turned to leave with a barely audible "Maybe I should leave you two alone..."

Shining got up from the bed finally, and signaled the maid to come back, "Spic, it's fine, you don't need to leave. I was just about to get up anyway."

The bashful maid came back into the room, "Oh? Do you require help with donning your royal attire, your highness?"

SA had the decency to look slightly abashed at the forwardness of the maid, "Uuhhh, no thanks, that's not necessary. But if you could send an order down to the kitchens for Cady's breakfast that would be great."

Just after that, Cadance put in her own request, in what could only be described as the sort of tone one would use when they are extremely comfortable and don't want to move, "I want a bedtime story~"

Spic Anne Span giggled at the goofy princess, "Yes yes, you'll get your bedtime story, just as soon as I put in this order to the kitchen." All Cadance did to reply was let out a half-hearted "Wooooo~"

While Shining and Spic exited the royal bedroom, Cadance drifted off into blissful sleep.

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PONYVILLE, EQUESTRIA.

Today was a good day, a day like any other in the happy little town of Ponyville... At least, it would have been, had it not happened to be the day that Bulk Biceps decided to go to the gym for once. No, today was going to be anything but normal for the other patrons at the local gym, for today, Iron Will had also deemed it was time for him to go back to the gym and get back in shape. Now, normally these two wouldn't be at the gym on the same day due to their schedules. Today was not an ordinary day, not by a longshot. Ponyville was in for one hell of a shitstorm.

Optional song: Deadmau5 - Strobe (Dimension Remix)

As soon as Bulk Biceps trotted into the gym, all actions ceased. Weights were held at awkward positions, drinks spilt onto the floor as ponies held them just in front of their mouths, unable to complete the action. Push-ups were halted at various heights, pony piles erupted from those flung off of treadmills, appendages snapped back from Bowflex contraptions pulling on their users. Everything and nothing happened, all at once. The receptionist at the front desk gulped nervously, "Ah, Bulk Biceps, back for another workout session so soon?"

The only thing to come out of the incredibly large pony's mouth, was an emphatic "YEEEEAAAAAHHHH!"

The startled receptionist shrunk back into her chair, "Right, okay, just remember that your dues for this year come in at the end of the month Have a good day at the gym."

Bulk Biceps let loose another "YEAH!" before he stampeded off to the section with all the "heavy-duty" (for everyone else, that is) Bowflex machines. The receptionist sighed heavily as Bulk started his reps, "There goes our budget for this month..."

Just as soon as she got comfortable at her station, Zero Patients (she failed med school, which explains why she's a receptionist at a gym) had her plans for a slightly peaceful day at her desk all alone shattered in an instant. If Bulk Biceps was the bringer of peace and humor to her realm of exercising equipment, Iron Will was her antithesis. Where Bulk sometimes got easily excitable and encouraged other ponies to push themselves when they work out, Iron Will had a tendency to intimidate ponies with his in-your-face attitude. No one wanted to be around when he got to the gym, yet here he was, plain as Celestia's Sun. Everyone cleared out faster than a family of possums being pelted with flaming tennis balls (don't talk to Fluttershy about it, she still has nightmares.)

Zero considered her options, whether she should stay while the two of them inevitably butt heads, or just go home and play HayStation 3. It took her all of two seconds for her to make up her mind, but just as she was about to put her stuff back into her saddlebag, she heard something... Or more specifically, the lack thereof. The entire gym was silent, eerily so. The cause of the silence was unknown to Zero, until she glanced over at Iron, who had his eyes glued to Bulk. The look on Iron's face was completely unreadable, and yet it spoke volumes. It was as if he had seen the most beautiful thing in the universe, and wanted to treasure it forever.

Iron Will's heart almost leapt out of his chest when he laid eyes upon Bulk, who was busy with making the Bowflex machine his mare. Zero could've sworn she heard Iron Will's heart try to beat its way out of his chest, which made her reconsider leaving work early. Instead of heading home, she quickly left her post at the receptionist desk and made her way over to the nearest convenience store for an XXL bag of popcorn. Meanwhile, Iron's mind raced a thousand miles per minute. 'Those muscles, that pristine white coat. Such elegance, such grace; I don't think there's a more perfect being on this planet!' That's what his mind said, but what eventually came out of his mouth was, "SUCH MUSCLE, SO FIT; YOU MAKE IRON WILL'S HEART AND MIND QUIT!"

Bulk stopped his reps and got off of the Bowflex, "Excuse me?"

Iron Will moved across the gym floor, past all the treadmills, bench presses, etc. and made his way closer to Bulk. With a shake of his head, Iron managed to reconnect his mind to his mouth properly. "Those are some impressive flanks, did they get that way by running away from all the love struck mares?"