The Battle of Food: A Story About Overcoming ARFID

Chapter One

   Rainbow Dash considered herself popular. The rest of her friends were also popular, but that was to be expected when Rainbow Dash and her friends always rescued their high school from magical threats. 

   Because of their popularity, almost everyone in the school knew what each of the girls did during or after school. Sunset Shimmer loved to help others, so she was in CHS's tutoring program, Twilight was known for her knowledge in nearly all subjects, Applejack often held the school's bake sales, Fluttershy volunteered at the animal shelter after school on Wednesdays, Pinkie Pie was the head of CHS's party planning committee, and Rarity always designed uniforms for the school's clubs and sports teams. 

   Rainbow Dash, however, was known for being the best at sports. She was the captain of many- if not all- of Canterlot High School's sports teams. Because of this, she kept and maintained a slim, steady figure. She was always on the go and always inspired others to follow her example. 

   Rainbow Dash was cool, confident, and even a bit cocky at times. Nevertheless, her heart was always in the right place. She loved and cared for her friends, she was fiercely loyal to those she loved and what she believed in, and she was always willing to lend a hand to someone in need of help. Many of her peers strived to be like her. 

   Rainbow Dash also had a young freshman who looked up to her and admired her every aspect. Her name was Scootaloo and she always wanted to tag along to Rainbow Dash's practices and games. Rainbow Dash was flattered by Scootaloo's admiration of her and always let her tag along. However, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but admire Scootaloo in return. The pair saw each other as sisters. Even though they weren't related by birth, they could always be sisters in spirit. 

   When Rainbow Dash wasn't playing sports, she was with her friends- whether they were stopping a magical disaster waiting to happen or just hanging out together. Fluttershy had been Rainbow Dash's friend for the longest, Pinkie Pie was her pranking partner-in-crime, Twilight was always willing to help her in subjects that she struggled in, Sunset Shimmer cared about Rainbow Dash deeply, and Rarity always sewed the best uniforms for her sports teams. However, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel closer to Applejack than the others. Although, they both had a drive to compete and often did so against each other, they were friends all the same. 

   The seven friends always ate lunch together. Even though Rainbow Dash brought her own lunch which usually consisted of carrots, celery sticks, and a banana, she always looked forward to seeing Applejack. Applejack always brought an extra lunch box full of apples freshly grown and harvested from her family's farm. She always brought enough for the rest of them and Rainbow Dash loved the sweet taste of Sweet Apple Acres apples. 

   As Rainbow Dash snacked on her apple, Rarity turned to her and asked, "Rainbow Dash, I simply do not know how you do it! You're so skinny. What's your secret?" 

   Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I don't know. I just eat what I like. Fruits, vegetables, some kinds of whole grains, that sort of stuff. I also make sure I'm exercising."

   "You are definitely right," Rarity replied. "I guess sitting in my designing room all day isn't exactly the way to stay in shape now, is it?" 

   "Although... you don't need to be skinny to be healthy either," Applejack added. "Now ah don't consider myself skinny, but ah'm not overweight either. All ya need is to get some exercise, get the right nutrition, and get a good amount of sleep each night. Ah get my exercise from working on the fields." 

   "Applejack's right," Twilight declared. "I was looking at some health books in the library for a project we're doing in health class. That's what many of my reliable sources said to do." 

   Applejack grinned. "Ah just learned it over years of seeing the results myself. We down on Sweet Apple Acres get to bed at a good time, eat a good diet, and work hard on the orchard. Ah've seen it pay off for my health in the long run." 

   "Thank you, girls," Rarity said. "I will take all of this into consideration." 

   Sunset Shimmer looked at Rainbow Dash's meal. "Is... that gonna be enough for you?"

   Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yeah. I like fruits and vegetables. They're the only foods that don't make me want to vomit when I eat them." 

   "Wait... you don't even like cupcakes?" Pinkie Pie asked in disbelief. 

   "Nah, bit too soft for my liking," Rainbow Dash answered. 

    "But your birthday is coming up in a few weeks!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "You need to have some birthday cake, girlie. Okay... well, maybe you'd like a different kind of birthday treat instead? Cookies? Pie? Doughnuts? Brownies? Ice Cream?" 

   The others watched Rainbow Dash cringe at every suggestion. "Uh... well... my favorite fruit is an apple and my favorite vegetable is broccoli?" 

   "Don't you ever eat anything else?" Sunset Shimmer asked in confusion. 

   Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Nah, not really. The crunchy texture and the natural taste is what I like. I just can't stand artificial flavors." 

   "Well... I don't think these grilled chicken nuggets are artificially flavored," Twilight stated, looking down at her meal. "Are you sure you don't want something else? I can give you one of these. I really don't mind-"

    "Girls, really," Rainbow Dash said. "I packed my lunch this way because I don't really have an appetite for anything else we had in the house. I don't like meat. It's too chewy." 

   "She needs to try the cafeteria's cheeseburgers then," Pinkie Pie joked. 

    The others laughed- half from the joke and half from agreement. 

    Twilight frowned slightly. "Well if you insist, Rainbow, but I really do think you need to add some protein in your diet."

   Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. "Twilight, it's fine. I'll be fine. Can't I just eat my lunch without you girls worrying about what it is?" 

   "Okay," Twilight relented. 

    The chatter between the seven girls began to stir up again, but Applejack couldn't help but glance at Rainbow Dash's lunch. Rainbow Dash only ate a little bit and she kept getting thinner by the day. She was going to get to the bottom of what was bothering her.

(A/N: Alright, new fanfic! Here we go! I have six other fanfics to finish, but... let's keep going and see what happens! This one is about a little known eating disorder called ARFID [Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder]. Basically, it's an eating disorder where the sufferer of the disorder isn't looking to get thinner, but where certain flavors, textures, and colors can force them to limit their diet to the point of malnutrition. Some people with ARFID might even have a fear of choking. 

So I hope that you stick around to see what happens next! Love you all! <3)