//------------------------------// // Chapter One- The Picture Perfect Pony // Story: Perfect // by HaloEssence111 //------------------------------// It was just like any other day. Me and my friends came home from school to my sister Rarity's boutique, and ran into the kitchen for a snack. Apple Bloom grabbed a banana (hey, where else would she get one?), and Scootaloo poured herself a glass of juice. We talked for a while in the kitchen, then ran up to my room. At least they did. "Sweetie Belle, please come into my inspiration room, I need you to model a dress for me." called Rarity. I sighed, walking into her room. "Please make it quick, Rarity, my friends are waiting upstairs." I said, stepping onto the platform. "Of course, dear." Rarity wraps a length of light pastel cloth around my middle, pinning it in place with a bit of lace. She took out her tape measure and frowned. "Well, I suppose I was wrong, darling." she said, unpinning the cloth from my waist. "The filly this is meant for is a whole size smaller than you. I'll have to use a different model." "What?" I asked, confused. Rarity didn't have any other filly models. "Sweetie, will you please ask Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to come in?" Still puzzled, I did as I was told. Rarity looked my friends over skeptically, and finally chose Scootaloo as the model, me and Apple Bloom waiting impatiently for her to be done. To my surprise, the dress seemed to fit Scoots perfectly. "Come on already! We still have a ton of crusading to do!" said Scootaloo, hopping eagerly off the modeling platform. Again, we run up to my room. Apple Bloom flops on top of my bed. "I wonder why she chose you, Scootaloo." she thinks aloud. "Well, Rarity said that the filly this dress was being made for was a whole size smaller than me. Scoots, what size are you?" I ask. "I dunno. A nine? Ten? Who cares, let's just start crusading already!" said Scootaloo, pulling out a small green composition book from her saddlebags. We've been getting so many ideas for future cutie marks lately, that we've had to start writing them down. "Let's see... how about we try the Mural-Painting cutie mark?" suggested Bloom. "Nah, too expensive. What about the cliff jumping one! That sounds exciting!" "And fatal." "Worry wart." The two continued debating over which cutie mark was better as I flipped through the notebook. There were ideas for calligraphy, video games, shopping, aviation, and more, most of them crossed out to show that we had failed in that pursuit. There has to be at least one perfect cutie mark in here... I think, getting more frustrated with every page I turn. I throw down the notebook and walk down the hall to the bathroom, leaving my bickering friends for some peace. When I'm done and about to leave, a corner of glossy pink paper catches my eye. Upon further investigation, I find out that it belongs to one of Rarity's fashion magazines, Vanity Mare. On the cover is a picture of a tall, slender pink unicorn mare wearing a solid gold rose clip in her long, silky mane. The breezy, almost translucent lavender dress she wears appears to be blowing in a nonexistent wind. Her makeup is impeccable, almost unreal. Below her is the caption: Fleur is flawless, and you can be too! No I couldn't. She was unblemished, immaculate, the personification of beauty, and me... well, I wasn't. Still, I turn to the article, entitled The Picture Perfect Pony. The article went to describe the miracle diet Fleur supposedly was on, one composed primarily of plums, green olives, and kale-beet smoothies. It sounded disgusting. But then again... An idea pops into my head. I trot back to my room, where (unsurprisingly) Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are still going at it. "Guys!" I shout, interrupting them. "What is it, Sweetie Belle?" asks Apple Bloom. "I know how we're going to get our cutie marks!" *** "Kale and Beet smoothies???" asks Scootaloo, gagging. "That's so gross!" I had presented my idea to them, that we should try to become models, and they weren't liking it. "Well, it's what she uses to look good." I counter, pointing at the photo of Fleur. "And besides, it says that results should start to show in only two or three weeks, so we won't have to wait long." "TWO OR THREE WEEKS???" "So? We've done a lot harder things before, guys! We can do this!" The two looked at each other, then at me. After a while, Bloom answered. "Sweetie Belle, those hard things we did were stuff like zip lining and scuba diving, not drinking a bunch of green gunk so that we can look like some hoity-toity model in a fashion magazine. Plus, I know my Aunt Orange in Manehatten uses those diets all the time, and she don't look like no fashion model to me." "Uh-huh." said Scootaloo, nodding her head. "We're just kids, Belle! We aren't gonna magically transform into pretty pink princesses if we go on this diet." "I know that." I said. "But we can at least try! What harm can it do?" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo give each other that look again. "Come on, guys! Two weeks, just to see if it'll work!" Bloom sighs. "Fine. I'm in. What about you, Scoots?" Scootaloo grimaces. "I still don't like the idea of drinking kale smoothies. But I'll do if you guys will." I grin. "Great! It's a plan. We'll start tomorrow." As promised, the next day each of us brought a bottle of gunky green smoothie with their lunch. I was a bit disappointed to see that they had brought their normal lunches instead of sticking to the diet guidelines like I had, but I was still happy that they were willing to do this with me. The smoothies tasted as bad as they looked, but we still drank every drop. Besides food, we were supposed to stretch and run for a half an hour each day for exercise, so instead of playing on the equipment, we ran around the playground a few times. I saw a few of our classmates pointing and snickering at us, but I pretended not to acknowledge them. Unfortunately, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo seemed to notice, and they weren't liking it. "(pant, pant) Sweetie Belle...(puff)... can we...(pant)... stop now?...(huff, puff)..." Bloom heaved, glancing over at a group of sniggering girls. "Yeah..." puffed Scootaloo. "Haven't we...(wheeze)... run enough yet?" "No..." I started, my throat parched and dry. "I don't...(huff)... think so." Just then, the bell rang, calling us inside. We all stopped running, panting for breath. "Next time..." said Bloom. "We run... somewhere... other than school. Okay?" "Fine. Tomorrow... we run... over at Sweet Apple Acres." Scootaloo and Apple Bloom only grunted in approval. I knew that they were regretting ever agreeing to try this, but this was something I really wanted to do. I knew that I would probably never look like Fleur de Lis, but that didn't mean I couldn't try. *** At the beginning of the week, I weighed 97 pounds. After a week of strict dieting, I weigh 94. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have also lost some weight, but they haven't really been following the rules like I have, so each of them have only lost about a pound. But I understand. This past week hasn't been fun. After that first day, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon began to take notice of our smoothies and food choices. They asked us (very loudly, might I add) if we were drinking sewer sludge. They called us muck eaters, and asked us if we were planning on getting our cutie marks in being disgusting. This really seemed to bother Apple Bloom, and I think Scootaloo had to force herself from punching Diamond. I tried to ignore it. If we could really get our cutie marks in modeling, everything else would just fall into place. Diamond Tiara would be begging to be our friend, we'd be famous and beautiful... everything. I know Bloom and Scoots weren't all that excited about this cutie mark, but just wait. They'll see that this is the best idea I've ever had. Yeah, maybe Scootaloo isn't really the put-on-pretty-dresses type, and Apple Bloom is kind of a picky eater, but they understand how important this is. On our last week of dieting, I try to suck down as many smoothies and eat as many plums and olives as possible while not eating anything else. I encouraged Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to do the same, but they stuck to only one smoothie a day. I ran who knows how many laps around Sweet Apple Acres without any breaks, and they only did about two each. I should've expected this; I should've figured out that I was going to be the most enthusiastic about this. Deep down, I feel a little hurt, but I'm good at hiding my feelings. But it's all right. We haven't even gotten to the best part yet. On Saturday, the last day of out two-week diet, I'd never seen Bloom and Scootaloo look happier. On the scale in Apple Bloom's bathroom, I weighed 92. "Great! This means I lost five pounds!" I said gleefully. "Now you guys go." Apple Bloom went on next. "89. Your turn, Scoots." My mouth went open. No way. How could she weigh less than I did? I was the one who really worked hard at this! "How- How did you lose that much weight?" I asked incredulously. "I didn't. I only lost a pound and a half. Plus there's all my chores at the farm for more exercise, so that may have played a part." Scootaloo stepped up on the scale. "85." Again, my mouth dropped. This isn't possible! Why-why- were they the ones with the perfect weights??? What did I do wrong? Then it hits me. "Scoots, how much did you weigh before?" "I dunno. 87? Look, does it really matter?" "Yes, it does! It shows that I lost the most weight out of any of you! See, I lost five pounds, Apple Bloom lost one and a half, and you only lost two!" I did a little dance; I really did lose the lost weight! I really could become a model! Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Whoop-de-dang-doo. Can we do something different now? I had my eye on that skateboarding cutie mark..." I shook my head. "No way! We aren't done yet." "We ain't done???" asked Apple Bloom skeptically. "How are we not done? We just spent the last two weeks running laps and drinking puke juice. I'd call that done, thank you." "But this is a modeling cutie mark, not a dieting cutie mark." I argue. "The next step is to get Rarity to lend us some dresses, and for us to walk the runway." Scootaloo wrinkled her nose; she looked as if she had smelled something rotten. "Nuh-uh. Not happening. Not in a million years, Sweetie Belle. There is no way in the fiery depths of Tartarus that I'm wearing some frilly dress in front of people." "It doesn't have to be frilly!" I say, growing a little impatient with my friends. Okay, so maybe Scootaloo is going to be harder to convince than I thought. "It doesn't even have to be a dress! You could model pants, or accessories, or hats, or even manestyles if you want! The possibilities are endless!" "Great. Can I model a skateboard? 'Cuz that's what I'd really like to do." said Scootaloo, her face hard. "We've stuck to your stupid diet thing for two whole weeks, Sweetie Belle! Both me and Bloom are sick of it!" Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Sweetie." she says. "Dress up is fun, I guess, but it's definitely not something I'd like to do for the rest of my life! Can't we just try a different cutie mark now? The skateboarding one does sound pretty fun." I feel my face growing red with exasperation. "No! No we can't! I told you, we haven't completed everything this cutie mark is about! And besides, it's just modeling clothes, it's not going to kill you! Quit being like this!" "Like what? Like ponies who'd rather not spend their free time doing boring girly-girl stuff? Sorry Sweetie, but this is just not my thing!" Scootaloo said, her eyebrow furrowed stubbornly. I went from annoyed to angry. Why couldn't they just stick with me on this??? "Look, I know you'd be acting just like this if me and Apple Bloom decided to give up on something you like! Do you think I really wanted to try zip lining? I only did it because you asked me to, not because I really wanted to! Can't you just humor me on this?" "We DID humor you!" said Scootaloo, her voice steadily rising. "This whole idea for a modeling cutie mark was the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Geez, can't you just let it GO already???" I feel like I'm about to explode. What is her problem??? "Oh, come on, Scoots," I plead. "Please??? Just work with me here, okay???" "No!" she shouts. "You can do it yourself if you want! But count. me. out!!!" "Fine!" I yell, forgetting all self control. "Maybe I will do it myself! Maybe I'll just do everything by myself!" "Fine!" "Fine!" I run out of Bloom's bathroom and out of Sweet Apple Acres. Who cares about them! I don't need them! I don't need anypony! When I get back to the boutique, Rarity is nowhere to be seen. I grab a pillow form off of the sofa, burying my face in it and screaming as loud as I can. That Scootaloo... Oooh, she just makes me so angry sometimes! Why can't she just work with me on this??? Why does she insist on always being so difficult??? I walk over to the fridge and open it up. Inside is some eggs, milk, assorted health food, and several cartons of Vanilla Oat Swirl ice cream. I take out three along with a spoon, and start on the first. I shovel the ice cream down my throat, devouring it like a hungry wolf. When it's empty, I grab the second, cramming every bit of frozen goodness down my gullet. It was starting to hurt now, but still I eat the third carton. It felt so good to eat the ice cream, something I had't had since I started dieting. I log up to my room, feeling a little sick. But suddenly it dawns on me; I broke the diet. I wasn't going to lose weight anymore. No, no, no, no, no! I think, panicking. I had to make it go away. Before it turns into fat... But how should I get rid of it? I can't just open up my stomach and take the ice cream out! But I could make it come back up. I hurry the the bathroom and over to the toilet, leaning over the seat. It was a bit of a struggle to reach into the back of my throat, but I managed. And it all came back up, every bit of Vanilla Oat Swirl that I had consumed. I flushed the toilet, ridding myself of the sickening evidence. But somehow after all of this, I felt better.