Faded Gem: A Story About Overcoming Anorexia

Chapter Seven

   Rarity was sweating furiously as she pushed herself beyond her limits. Just one more pushup..., Rarity told herself.

   To Rarity, her workout music began to sound like nails sliding down a dusty chalkboard. She could feel her muscles burning as if they were screaming for her to stop and she could hear her heartbeat clearly in her ears. She forced herself to go down into another pushup. All at once, Rarity felt dizzy and fell to the ground. I can't do it, Rarity thought sadly. All those extra calories. What will my friends think?

   "Rarity!" the sweet voice of Pearl called up the stairs. "Someone's here to see you! Is it alright if I send her upstairs?"

   "Yes, mother!" Rarity called back, but due to her exhaustion, it sounded more like a frog trying desperately to croak after its vocal cords had been damaged.

   Rarity heard the sound of someone running up the stairs as if they were eager. She was delighted to see Applejack reach the top of the stairs, holding a tray wrapped in tin foil.

   "Hiya, Rarity!" Applejack exclaimed with a twinkle in her eye. "What have you been up to?"

   Rarity chuckled in embarrassment. "Oh, you know, working out..." she trailed off.

  Rarity could see the excitement in Applejack's eyes wither away slightly. She knew that Applejack was aware of what she was going through, but she didn't expect Applejack to be able to tell what she was doing so easily.

   "Well, uh... great," Applejack said. "Ah baked something for ya too! Ah just thought I'd bring it on over."

   "Oh, you didn't have to do that!" Rarity replied with a nervous laugh. She really didn't have to do that. I can't eat it or I'll gain back the weight.

   "But ah did," Applejack said, winking at her. "Look!" Applejack unwrapped the tinfoil covering the tasty treat. "Apple cobbler."

   Rarity had to admit that Applejack's gift looked delicious and she could see that Applejack had poured her heart and soul into it. She'd feel guilty if she didn't eat it.

   Rarity forced a smile as she took the tray from Applejack. "Thank you, dear. That's so thoughtful. I'll be sure to save it for later."

   "Oh, ah hope so," Applejack said. She grew serious. "How has recovery been comin' along, Rarity?"

   Rarity swallowed nervously. This was the question she'd been dreading from Applejack since she had arrived. Rarity sighed. Despite how poor the results had been so far, she wanted to be honest with her. "I'm... afraid of the consequences," she admitted reluctantly.

   Applejack sighed sadly and sat down on a nearby sofa. She beckoned to Rarity to come sit with her. "Rarity... may ah ask ya... if it's not too personal, of course... may ah ask how much ya... weigh?"

   "I'm too ashamed to say," Rarity replied, clenching her eyes shut and turning away to hide the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

   "Well... ah won't force ya, but it don't look like you're healthy," Applejack claimed. "You're skinnier than Apple Bloom, sugarcube. She's two heads shorter than you. She should not weigh more than you do, Rare."

   Rarity sighed and reluctantly admitted her weight, "110.09."

   Rarity's heart sank when she saw Applejack's eyes widen with shock. She could only assume than Applejack was disgusted by how much she weighed, but in fact, it was the exact opposite.

   "Rare... someone your height should weigh at least 130 pounds," Applejack said. "That's twenty pounds underweight."

   Rarity just stared at the ground. "I... I didn't know how bad it was getting," she said softly.