Into the Ocean Blue...

The next morning, Rainbow woke up with her own plan for the day. She had read further into Twilight's books the night before, and was beginning to know what to expect. During this civilian training phase, she could prepare her body for much more intense strain in the guard. Her idea for the day was to start with a good breakfast and wait two hours before training. In hindsight, it was a good thing she hadn't eaten yesterday before going to meet Applejack. Another interesting thing she learned is why ponies didn't eat other animals. Apparently their microbial structure couldn't handle tough foods. It was just the way they evolved. They were pretty much nature's vegetarians.

"Let's see..."

Rainbow went through her cupboards and fridge.

"Guess I could go for some waffles. Better lay off the syrup though."

She yawned and stretched.

"It's kinda' funny. I only started training yesterday, but I feel different than before. I wonder why."

After a brief monologue, there was a knock at the door.

"Rainbow Dash, it's Twilight. I forgot to cover something important the other day."

"It's open."

Twilight opened the door and let herself inside.

"Sorry to barge in, but you remember what I told you about the written exam, right?"

"Yeah."

"I forgot to mention what all it covers. You need to pass the exam to be considered an official member of the guard."

"Oh boy. We're gonna' have a grand old time with this, aren't we?"

"You sound like a police officer."

"What's that mean?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

Twilight took a seat at the table.

"The exam will test your knowledge of math, science, technology, and literary comprehension."

"Yeesh. I remember math in High school. Wasn't really my strongest field."

"It'll really help in engineering though. If they recruit you to construct weapons, knowing the approximate measurements will make it a lot easier. I brought a book with me to give you some sample problems. This'll probably be a regular thing until you can answer most of the questions correctly."

"Okay. I was about to make some breakfast real quick. You want any?"

"Sure. I was kind of in a rush to get over here, so I didn't think to eat anything."

"Guess me and you are in the same boat then."

"Huh?"

"I didn't eat before I went to see Aj yesterday. If I was smart, I would've gotten up earlier and eaten a couple hours before I left."

"So you just found out about the meal scheduling I take it?"

"Yep. Last night."

"How far are you into those books anyway?"

"About a third of the way done. I'm up to injury recovery and medieval warfare."

"Have you had any trouble so far."

"Not really, but some of the names behind the anatomy and physiology of it are way too long."

"I agree."

"Looks like the waffles are done."

After close to two hours of studying, Rainbow had to cut the session short.

"Hey Twi, it's almost time for my strength training. Can we pick this up later today?"

"Actually, we might not need to do anymore today. Your grasp on some of this stuff is more phenomenal than I expected. You're still struggling in math a bit, but you're doing really well in everything else. I think two hours a day is enough."

"Do I get weekends off," Rainbow joked.

"Brain training works similarly to physical training. A couple days off will relax your mind and help you as long as you commit everything to memory."

"Oh. I was just taking shots, but if that's true, I'll take it."

"Anyway, I guess that's a wrap for the day."

"I'll see you later."

"Hey, Rainbow?"

"What's up?"

"Have you told anyone besides me and Applejack about what you're planning to do yet?"

"No. Aj told me to wait until I could prove I was strong enough to handle it."

"That's wise."

"I know you're worried, but I'll be fine. Think about all we've been through together. We've always come out on top, together or separated."

A small smile spread across Twilight's face.

"I know. You're right."

"Go ahead and get going. I'm sure spike is missing you about now."

Twilight made her way to the door, but stopped for a second after opening it.

"I hope you meet someone nice there."

"You really are an old soul Twilight."

"Should probably start with a few push ups. The book said to exercise for about the same time as I did cardio."

Rainbow stood at the back of her house. She would need the flat surface later. She got down on her forehooves and placed her hind legs in a straight line behind her. She spread her forelegs exactly shoulder-width apart and made sure her body was perfectly aligned in a straight position. With nothing left to prepare, she began to lift herself off the ground.

"HOLY MOLY, THAT'S A LOT OF PRESSURE!"

Despite the fact rainbow knew she would be lifting about two-thirds of her body weight, it was strenuous all the same, and that was when she was doing the correct way. She could only imagine what doing them wrong would feel like. After only three, she had to stop for a minute because of the intensity.

"I'm expected to do 200 of these every day!? I'll be lucky if I can make it to fifty! Mother of...DAH!"

Rainbow was correct in her assumption. After getting to thirty, her forelegs felt like boiled noodles. She had to force herself to do the last twenty. She had to tap into her willpower to keep from cursing.

"Crap. That was a pain. At least the crunches should be a little easier."

The book recommended Rainbow Dash try for crunches instead of traditional sit ups because of the safety risks to the lower spine. Unlike sit ups, which require at a least a full 90 degree angle change, crunches only required about 30 degrees and worked the abdominal muscles just as effectively. She placed her hind legs in the sit ups position with her hooves behind her ears. She slowly started lifting her upper body until she was approximately 30 degrees up, then gently lowered herself back down to the ground.

"Hey, that wasn't too bad!"

Rainbow could've easily done at least twice as many crunches, but the book advised against this as it could cause muscle imbalances. When she was done, the next thing on the list was pull-ups. The tower in the middle of town had a few horizontal pieces she could lift herself up on. There were no specific requirements other than maintaining a firm grip on the tower, avoiding head injury, and lifting with all her strength. After that was a few minutes of balance practice and she was done. The book recommended two rest days to fully recover from the strain. That was fine with Rainbow since it would allow her time to make progress in her studies.

"I hope Pinkie doesn't want me to try a bunch of sweets. I need to stick with a consistent diet. Speaking of which, what do I tell her if she asks why?"

Rainbow thought for a moment.

"I'll just tell her it's for personal reasons."