Faded Gem: A Story About Overcoming Anorexia

Chapter Seventeen

   Sunset Shimmer came back into the room to find her friends still surrounding Rarity's bed, but they all look relieved. "Girls?"

   "Rarity's awake, Sunset!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Rarity's awake!" 

   Sunset Shimmer could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She rushed over to the side of Rarity's bed and found that it was true. Rarity's eyes were open, though she looked frail and the veins showed in her eyes.

    "Rarity, thank goodness!" Sunset Shimmer said. "I'm so glad that you're awake!"

    Rarity let a small smile flicker on her lips. "Me too." 

    "Rarity... this is why we wanted you to eat so badly," Sunset Shimmer insisted. "We never wanted it to come to this. Not ever." 

   Rarity's smile died and she looked as if she could cry. "I know. I'm so sorry." 

   "It's not your fault!" Pinkie Pie cried. "You couldn't help that this icky eating disorder was holding you back!"

   "Pinkie Pie's right," Applejack agreed. She set her own hand upon Rarity's. Applejack almost shivered at how bony it felt. "Even though you're the one trying to recover, eating disorders are never easy to overcome. We understand that you were going through something and we knew we had to be patient with ya. It's not your fault that you have this disease."

   Rarity sighed. "Thanks, girls. You're the best friends a girl I could ask for. I mean it."

   Rarity's friends smiled at her. 

   "But?" Sunset Shimmer knew that Rarity wasn't finished.

   "But I still feel like I should have done so much more to get better," Rarity replied, her voice breaking. Tears started to pour down her face. "I felt like I failed you. All of you."

   "Rarity, look at us, okay?" Applejack said. 

    Rarity looked up at her friends and studied each of their faces. Sunset Shimmer still looked a bit shaken, Twilight gave her a sad smile through the tears swimming in her eyes, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were still crying, and Rainbow Dash stared at her with the shock still wearing off of her. Applejack gave her a gentle smile, but tears were spilling down her face and dripping onto Rarity's blankets.

   "You haven't failed us," Applejack continued. "You see? We're just scared for you. Rarity, you haven't let anyone down, but you sure seem to believe it. And when you believe something like that, then it's hard to feel like it ain't true." 

    Rarity sighed as she realized Applejack was right. She wasn't going to get better if she kept feeling like she failed everybody including herself. 

   "You can beat this, Rarity," Sunset Shimmer told her. "It's not easy, but..." She thought back to Starlight Glimmer's sister and flinched at the thought that could've happened to Rarity. "But with the right help and the right steps, you'll start to feel better about eating." She thought for another moment. "Granted, I don't think that those voices telling you not to eat will leave you alone, but you can begin to show them that you're stronger than them." 

   "Ah agree with Sunset," Applejack added. "Like ah've been tryin' to tell ya, you ain't overweight and it breaks my heart to see you think that you can't eat because you think that you ain't enough."  

    Rarity nodded at her friends. "Thank you, girls. I want to get better. I truly do." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "W-will you help me?" 

    "Of course we will!" Fluttershy cried. "We always want to help you."

    "But we also need to know what you need," Twilight added. "Just let us know how we can help and you can bet that we'll be there to do so." 

    "Thank you, girls," Rarity said. "It means a lot."

    There was a moment of silence from the group. Everybody stood frozen as if somebody had just pressed the 'Pause' button on a TV remote. 

    "Girls," Rarity spoke, finally breaking the silence between them. "May... I have a moment with Applejack please? Alone?"

   The others nodded and Rainbow Dash let a smirk spread across her face. "Oh, you want alone time with Applejack, huh? Of course you do! Don't do anything too steamy in here!"

   The rest of Rainbow Dash's friends giggled, except for Applejack who gave her an unimpressed glare, "Cut it out, Dash. Can't you see that Rarity needs something? Just... give us a minute, everyone."

    The rest of the girls nodded in agreement and left the room, allowing Applejack and Rarity to have a moment alone together.

   Applejack and Rarity's interaction began with silence. Rarity twiddled with the blankets on her bed and Applejack played with a thread she found coming loose from the edge of her jeans. Finally, Applejack managed to find a topic to spark a conversation, "So... you needed a moment alone with me, huh? Why's that?"

   Rarity took a deep breath before replying, "Well... talking to all six of you at once was a bit overwhelming and I trust you the most, so..." Rarity felt her face grow warm. "In all honesty, I just wanted a little more time to talk to you about it."

   Applejack blushed. "Aw, well... anytime, sugarcube."

   "At first, I wasn't sure why my recovery plan backfired, but... then I realized that it's because I was attempting recovery all on my own," Rarity replied. "I never asked for encouragement or support when I needed it... and I think I'd like to have it from you."

   Applejack smiled. "You have it from me and many others who care about ya. Anytime you need help, just be willing to let any of us know." She winked. "Especially me if it makes ya more comfortable." 

    "Thank you, Applejack," Rarity told her. 

    Applejack and Rarity shared an embrace. Rarity sat up a little, so she could wrap her arms around Applejack and Applejack had to be gentle due to how fragile Rarity was at the moment, but it still made them feel better about everything that had transpired. 

   At this moment, the doctor entered the room and smiled at the two young girls. "Alright, girls. I'm going to increase the flow of Rarity's feeding solution and in a few more days, she should be free to go." 

   "Thank you for everything, doc," Applejack said. 

    "Oh, just doing my job," the doctor claimed. 

    The doctor began to increase the flow of the solution and Applejack took Rarity's hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Ah'm happy you decided to continue recovery. Not just for our sake, but for your own." 

   Rarity smiled at Applejack, squeezing back. "And... I think I'm ready now."

  

(A/N: Alright, now that we got over all of the depressing stuff, this story can finally start taking a turn for the light! Ready for the heartwarming, sappy, shippy stuff you're gonna get in the end?! So am I! All aboard the S.S. RariJack! It is now setting sail!)