> You lower the flyer down and stare up at the flashing sign with a quirked eyebrow.
> The flashing sign read 'Bulk Biceps Body Builders'
> You could start off here... you guess.
> Timidly you walk in...
> OH GOD THE STENCH.
> The smell of undiluted B.O filled your nostrils faster than an escaped road runner.
> You pinch your nostrils in an attempt to wade the smell away.
> Most of the stallions in the gym were too busy working out to notice you.
> The few who did snickered as they continued with their weights.
> Despite the intimidating amount of stallions and B.O the place was pretty nice.
> It was big and accommodating, with plenty of weights, treadmills with multiple other conditioning and strength training equipment.
> Hanging overhead was a large banner of Bulk Biceps with a 'Go big or go home' painted underneath him.
> "Oh coming in to prep Anon!?" One of the stallions from the back shouted.
> Fuck him.
> You slide over to a rather large, mahogany desk.
> It was really out of place here...
> A bored looking bubblegum pink mare with a blonde mane looked apathetically down at her hooves as she filed them.
> "Please sign in on the sheet and enjoy you day, Thank you~!"
> That was so half-assed.
> You clear your throat.
"Actually, I'm here to sign up..."
> The mare's eyes flicked from her hooves up to you.
> She looked you over once before sighing loudly.
> That made you really uncomfortable...
> "Fill out this sheet here and one of our trainers will see you."
> This pony was seriously getting on your nerves. You wanted to shout something about how serious this all was and how you were going to get fit despite the work it would take.
 
"k"
 
>Age... Done
> Height... Done...
> Weight.... done sadly...
> When you weighed yourself, you figured out just how much you really were.
> 290 isn't good...
> How are you gonna shave off that much weight in three months?
> You looked over the last of the paper, tapping the pencil against your chin softly.
> All that was left was the reason for joining...
> The pencil scratches softly against the paper as you write away.
> Some of the stallions leaving shot you glances, some out of maliciousness.
> Others out of understanding pity.
> But you ignored them either way, opting to just silently fill out the form.
> After pouring your reason onto the paper you go up to hand it into the mare.
> She looks you up and down once again and blows some air out of her nose.
> "I'm afraid our trainers are too busy training some real stallions to see you right now, please come back later."
"W-what!? You just told me you would have someone see me!"
>"Yes, but then they realized who you were."
>...
>"Well fuck you too."
> You tossed the papers in her face and flick her off, storming out of the gym while some of the stallions laughed at you.
> As you stepped out of the door you wiped some of the tears from you eyes, sniffling softly as you plopped down on the side of the gym.
> You let your head drop in between your knees as you waited.
> Already off to a great start...
> That was sarcasm.
> As you sat there holding back the floodgates a booming sound caught your attention.
> You peek your head up and cock it to the side as booming music played.
> You got to your full height and walked away from the gym towards the music.
> For some reason it was drawing you in...
>Your feet crunched against the dirt road but was nowhere near audible over all the music.
> The track was strange, nothing spectacular or mesmerizing but you just felt attracted to it.
> It did sound really familiar....
> Oh well you couldn't identify it in a million years.
> It was just right around the block...
> As you turn the corner from the hype of the music you expected a crowd.
> Instead the ponies were either ignoring the source or booing at it.
> The source being some beefy, blue minotaur up on the stage, puffing his chest and boosting about something.
> A tomato was thrown at him in response.
> It did next to nothing except smash against his shoulder.
> Then he flexed and the tomato's juices literally flew off.
> "Throw all the things you want!, Iron Will's the bull who's got the stuff to flaunt!"
> That was terrible.
> The ponies booing him grumbled and trotted away, leaving him all alone.
> That didn't keep him from going on though.
> How can he be so thick and so confident?
> You timidly walk up, slipping your hands into your pockets and haunching your shoulders.
> Despite it not helping to hide you at all it made you feel way better.
> "You ponies all have flabby, weak bodies. Well come on down to Iron Wills, IRON CAMP! And I'll show you how to reaaaally rock and roll!"
> You perk up a little, fully invested into what he had to say now.
> "YOU THERE!"
> He looked directly at you, staring coldly at you.
> "Are you tough enough for the IRON CAMP!?"
> Well...are you?
"Y-Yea!"
>Iron Will furrowed his brows, stepping forward on the stage.
> "What was that!?" he shouted so loudly it rattled the nearby stalls.
"YEAH!"
> He hopped down off of the stage, landing directly in front of you with a single bound.
> That was at least a ten foot distance he just closed in a single bound...
> "No-one and I mean NO-ONE has made it through a year of Iron camp! What makes you think you can do it flabby one!?"
> Now it's your turn to furrow your brow and get mean.
"I can do a years worth in three months!" you shout back.
> Why the hell did you just say that?
> Iron Will smirked, a smirk teeming with a ferocity unmatched by any other.
> "Tell you what..."
> You could smell the testosterone dripping off of him.
> You gulped.
> "You finish a years worth of Iron camp in three months... and you don't have to pay a single bit."
> You straightened up, which wasn't very impressive courtesy of your pudge.
>His smirk dropped, replaced by a hard, stern look.
> "But if you fail. You will work for me AND pay the full year!"
> Should you take the offer?
> You had literally nothing else going on, no friends, a free offer for some hardcore training and initiative not too fail.
>Steeling yourself you meet his eyes, returning his hard gaze with a look of determination.
"Easy...."
> Iron Wills gaze dropped and a goofy smile stretched across his face.
> "I like your determination son... you and I are gonna have a lot of fun!"
>Eugh...the terrible, terrible rhymes.
> "Go home and pack your tooth brush, cause' that's all I'm letting you have!"
> He turned around and snapped his fingers.
> A droopy looking goat shuffled over and handed him a withered paper.
> He turned back to you and shoved it into your chest roughly, nearly crushing your rib cage in the process.
> "This is a map to the mountain the camp is on. It's a six mile hike up, I want you to meet me there by tomorrow morning with ONLY your toothbrush!"
>You look down at the map which was surprisingly detailed.
> And that made it all the more clearer that not only was there a six mile hike up the mountain.
> But it was also a eight kilometer walk to get there.
> That toppled with the surprisingly short distance to hike, if you started moving now you could make it to the mountain by nightfall.
> But you didn't know how long it would take for you to hike the mountain...
> Which meant...
> He wanted you to jog there....
"Oh no..."
> Welp Anon looks like your training starts early.
> You already fucked up by saying you could do something you know very well that you cannot.
> Might as well go home and cry some more...
"NO!"
> Your hand balled up into a fist, harmlessly crushing the map along with it.
"No more quitting..."
> You turn on your heel and began to head back home, getting ready to 'pack'
> You ignore all the ponies shooting you and Will strange glances as you both part ways.
> Next time they see you they'll swoon instead of hate....
> As you turn the block you expected your determination to waver a bit.
> It did not...
> You were tired of being second best.
> By the time you got home you didn't even bother tidying up the house.
> You just grabbed your tooth brush, threw on some 'around the house' shorts and grabbed the map.
> You were off as soon as you stepped back out, already starting your jog and...
> five minutes in and you were already winded...
> But it was time to push yourself up and beyond. No more time for lounging.
> No more second best...
> Oh god....
> Make it stop...
> Your body was jelly, the feeling of your muscles crying out nearly too much for you to bare.
> You managed to run the whole eight miles, albeit very slowly.'
> Whenever you felt like giving up you just pushed yourself even harder.
> And the victory would be glorious if not for the feeling of numbness spread throughout your entire body.
> Save for the lungs, they just felt like they were on fire.
> You collapse, having reached the foot of the mountain.
> This ground is feeling pretty comfortable right now...
> You manage to peel yourself away from the comfy dirt and dead plants to get a good look at the mountain.
> It was WAY bigger than six miles up, but you're guessing he wanted to meet at some kind of land point.
> The problem was, from where you were there was literally nothing but rocks jutting out of the side.
> You could climb them, easy no problem.
> But for six miles?
> Anon, what have you gotten yourself into...
> Just to prove a point as well...
> The thoughts of ridicule from earth drive you to get up.
> The thoughts of the ponies ridicule drives you to grab the first rock.
> With a considerable amount of effort, you manage to get all four limbs in different spots comfortable enough for you to start off with.
> Even then this was going to take all of your will and determination not to fail.
> You start off with the first rock, the sun suddenly dropping and being replaced by the moon.
> The first few feet in and you started to feel like you were about to pass out.
> Another few feet in and you almost actually did...
"I can't do it..."
>"Pfft, yeah you can't."
> Rainbow Dashes voice seemingly came from everywhere.
> Are you hallucinating now?
> "I mean look at me, fine, sleek, and a practical goddess. and what's up with you? Some chubby loser who can't even swim for more than five minutes without drowning!"
> You grit your teeth, throwing your hand to the next rock.
"No more second best!"
>It went on like this for what seemed like days when realistically, it was only hours.
> Every time you wavered, you just heard a voice in the back of your head taunt you.
>And it just drove you.
> You were already more than halfway up the mountain.
> Turns out six miles is a lot less harder to do when the possibility of a drop is imminent.
> You let out a gasp as you nearly lost your footing.
> Luckily you reached out and gripped a slightly larger rock with one hand.
> Slowly and painfully you pull yourself back into a safer position, gasping for breath as you looked down at the drop.
> You shot a glance at your end game, which was literally ten feet away from you.
> If you had fallen when you were that close...
> You shake the 'what if' out of your mind and continue your trek.
> You managed to clear out the last ten feet within a twenty minute span, your fatigue being the main obstacle.
> Pulling yourself over the ledge, you roll onto the ground.
> All you did was stare blankly at the sky... un moving.
> The clopping of hooves caught you attention.
> Iron Will stepped into your vision, hands folded behind his back.
> He pulled them out from behind and glanced at a watch.
> "Three hours until morning... You may do better than I thought Flabby one."
> He turned away from you.
> "Sixteen pushups and then start the four mile jog to the top of the mountain. The path will take you straight up there."
> Your jaw dropped.
> Iron Will plopped down all 300 pounds of himself into a wheelbarrow.
> "While pushing me..."
> Iron camp is going to kill you...