Dear Success
by PresentPerfect
First published
The journals of ponies -- and people -- and the successes they've had, no matter how small.
The Journal of Success. Few know it exists. Fewer still have an idea what it is.
Some say it simply copies the appropriate entries after they are written. Others say it physically replaces the writer's own journal, to take the stories of success, onto its own pages.
Whatever the case, these are some of its contents, presented as they were written. Not every success is the same size.
Chapters are not related to each other and can be approached in any order. The reader need not fear missing updates.
As this is personal writing, situations may not fully line up with canon or characters. Effort has been made, but may not always be enough. Also, that means this story will update only when I have something to write about! Not to mention, this will never truly be 'complete'. For more information, see here.
Entry #1,122
Dear Diary,
Do you remember when I mentioned a doctor appointment I hadn't been looking forward to?
Well, I have good news! Not only did it not go as poorly as I was expecting, it went really well!
You see, after the last time I went to see Doctor Horse, I told Mama about the checkup, and she asked if I had gotten my thyroid tested. She has thyroid problems, so she's a little concerned for my brother and me. But, I hadn't, even though the doctor had ordered some routine tests, and, well...
You know Mama. She's like me, she doesn't always express herself very strongly. But I could tell, she was kind of upset I hadn't asked for the test. It wasn't the first time she'd brought it up, so I can't blame her. Not really. Even if I think she expects a little too much out of me sometimes.
But that doesn't matter! Because today, before my checkup finished, Dr. Horse asked me if there was anything else I needed. And, well, he's so knowledgeable and very... matter-of-fact? I guess that's how you'd describe him. He's a little intimidating, which is why sometimes I don't speak up for myself when I need something from him.
But he asked if I needed anything, and I mentioned my thyroid and my family history, and he went ahead and ordered the test for me! I had thought he wouldn't, which is why I never said anything sooner, but he didn't seem perturbed or upset, not even a little! I had been worrying about nothing. As usual, I guess.
Mama was very proud of me for speaking up. And if I'm being honest, I'm kind of proud of myself, too. So be proud of me, Dear Diary, that's my story for today.
I always write such negative, depressing things in you, and I'm sorry about that, so I thought maybe you might like a little victory instead. I hope your day went well, too!
Yours,
Fluttershy
Entry #1,129
Dear Princess Twilight,
Had a bit of a scare here yesterday, and I wanted to tell you about it because I think I learned a good lesson about friendship. I know how much you like hearing about those.
It all started when I promised Applejack I'd help out on her farm. I have to admit, I've always been a little jealous of how strong she is, geode-induced super strength aside. I figured it would be a good chance for me to build a little physical endurance while helping out a friend, not to mention bonding time and really getting to learn what it is she and her family get up to on their farm.
Long story short, I was pooped by the time we finished all the chores and harvesting and whatnot, so AJ agreed to let me spend the night. After getting a good hot meal in me, of course. More bonding time, right? AJ and I rarely ever do things like that together, so I was all for it, and it was great!
In the middle of the night, though, we were woken up by someone crying out in pain. Granny Smith had gotten up around 1, gone downstairs looking for something, tripped in the dark, fell and hit her head.
Before you freak out, the end of the story is she's okay. But while earth ponies are really strong (I've never met Equestrian Granny Smith, but I have to imagine she's an earth pony like Applejack), here in the human world, we take old people falling down very seriously. It can be really dangerous, so everyone was immediately worried.
Apple Bloom was the one who'd heard Granny first, and she woke up me and AJ. Applejack told her to go back to sleep, since it was the middle of the night and all. I know in her shoes, I wouldn't have been able to. I'm also pretty sure AJ wanted her out of the way so she wouldn't have to watch her big sister freaking out. Because that's exactly what happened.
After getting Granny an ice pack for her head and making sure she wasn't, y'know, dead or anything, Applejack proceeded to fret, fidget, pace, you name it, everything just short of actually crying.
I, meanwhile, was still dead on my hooves. The shock of it had woken me up, yeah, but my body quickly started clamoring to go back to sleep. In spite of that, with Apple Bloom trying to sleep, Applejack's brother actually asleep, Granny not quite coherent and AJ freaking out, I was the one who had the presence of mind to grab the keys for Big Macintosh's pickup truck, get AJ and Granny into it, and drive us all to the emergency room.
Before you ask, yes we could have called an ambulance, but since the Apples live a ways out of town, it would have taken almost as long for one to get there than for us to drive ourselves. That, and ambulance rides in this world are pricey.
So I got to spend the next two and a half hours propped up in the corner of a place that wanted to be a hospital but was somehow way less intense. I mean, we were almost the only people there and like I said, Granny was okay. They gave her some kind of scan, and the doctor said they didn't find any fractures or swelling or anything, so that's good.
Me, I just spent the night doing those breathing exercises you showed me. I wasn't exactly going to sleep, there was too much talking in the background because we were right near the nurses' station, but it kept me calm. By which I mean any time AJ got too riled up with worry, I could say something to calm her down.
And I'm still really tired, so I apologize if this is incoherent.
But looking back over it, I was kind of surprised at myself? I mean, Applejack gave me an out right at the start. She said I didn't have to get involved since this was a family matter, but I just grabbed those keys and took it on myself to drive. I really do think she wouldn't have held it against me if I'd said no, but there was never any question in my mind. My friend was in need, and I could help, so I did.
Go me?
I feel good about how I handled the situation, at least. Maybe I'm selling myself short when I say I didn't expect myself to jump into the literal and metaphorical driver's seat like that. But maybe it shows how far I've come, learning about friendship and all?
Anyway, thought you'd like to know. How are things in Equestria? You know me, always up for the latest gossip!
I'll stop here, since I kind of filled a few pages. And cuz I want to I'm gonna go take a nap.
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer
Entry #1,138
Dearest Diary,
Today, I had a breakthrough with Fluffernutter.
Oh goodness, just writing that makes me feel--
Ah, but I see I've not written about the kitten before. Allow me to remedy this!
Back in September, my parents found a little black kitten huddled under their front stoop. The poor thing was able to take care of itself, but it was alone, with no sign of a mother cat anywhere. It was skittish around ponies, but after a week of feeding it, they were able to bring it inside and give it a little space in the kitchen all to itself.
Of course, as I have no lived with my parents for quite some time, I found out all the details later from Sweetie Belle. I was quite enamored with her tales of kittenish diversion. It's been ever so long since Opalescence was a kitten, and cats are just so adorable at that age!
Being so enamored, I made time in my busy schedule to visit my parents and see how the little dear was getting along. This was only a little over a week into the process of getting it used to being cared for.
What a darling creature! A perfectly sleek black coat, little yellow eyes that blinked when it got sleepy, that little twitchy tail that came to a point at the end! It was of course fearful of the new face in its midst, but that first day, I was able to coax it to play with a long, feathered toy for perhaps twenty minutes. What fun!
And yes, Diary, I know what you're thinking, so before you ask, the name was a case of my parents indulging Sweetie Belle. Where she came up with it, I'll never know. I even brought Fluttershy over to try and find out if it perhaps had a name already, or a family, or if it would be acceptable to take it to the vet for a checkup, but she said it simply didn't wish to speak with her. Can you imagine? The one pony in this world who could speak with it in the first place, and the cat has its own tongue, as it were.
Anyway, life progressed this way over the next two months, myself coming to visit once every other week or so. And in that time, I started to despair ever so slightly.
You see, I enjoyed my time playing with the dear, or watching it play with other members of my family, but whenever I showed up, its first instinct was always to hide. It never seemed comfortable around me! The final straw came when I saw it climb into my mother's lap while I tried to no effect to get it interested in a stuffed mouse toy.
I was absolutely devastated, dear Diary! And who could blame me? I felt neglected, snubbed even, having done nothing to offend it! Why, oh why wouldn't it show me the same affection and love as it had my parents? Even my father, himself very much not a cat sort of pony, was able to pet it!
I find this all somewhat embarrassing to admit, but that is why I admit it here, and not to anypony else. Why, I may have even wallowed, just a bit, over the lack of kitten affection in my life.
But then the answer came to me. Mother, Father and Sweetie all live with the cat. I am simply an itinerant, as it were. I am not putting the effort into this relationship, for that is what it is, to get much benefit out of it. This is not for lack of trying -- my schedule is what it is -- but feeling awful about it was doing nopony any good. So I stopped, and I felt a bit foolish, as the answer was so simple.
Which brings us to today. I was in my parents' living room, for they've been able to open up more of the house for the kitten to inhabit, playing with little Fluffernutter and a ribbon toy. It's one of those cat toys where the fluttery bits are tied onto a stick, to help ponies without magic entertain their pets.
We got into a game where the kitten would play with the end of the ribbon for a while, then stop to take a breath, whereupon I would stroke its back with the stick part. This seemed to confuse it at first, but over the course of some minutes, it slowly got used to the idea.
Until, eventually, it crawled into my lap and I got to pet it.
This didn't last long, mind you. But oh, it was magical! So soft and warm! It was all I could do to keep from squealing in delight!
When it had had enough, it gave me a little nip on the hoof (nothing painful, just enough to say "I'm done") and scampered off to play with some other toy. Mother had taken notice and said something along the lines of, "Well, if that's not progress!" I had to agree.
So yes, dear Diary. It was silly of me to feel so downtrodden about not being a kitten's best friend. Our rapport will improve given time, I'm sure of it. I shall simply have to put up with not being its best friend for a while longer, as my schedule dictates what it must.
I suspect there might be a lesson applicable to all kinds of friendship in this.
Your faithfully,
Rarity