//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Sweet Pepper Soberly Writes About The Friendship Journal // by Twinsez //------------------------------// Dear Ponyville Confidential, I hope this letter finds you well. I am interested in participating in the new review column opening up in your newspaper, with peak interest about the Friendship Journal review. Along with this letter, you should find a piece of looseleaf in this envelope with my review written on it. I hope that you will read, and I eagerly await your response.       Sincerely,             Sweet Pepper The Friendship Journal Review by Sweet Pepper The Friendship Journal was a book that released independently in bookstores Equestria-wide only last week, and it still managed to become a bestseller. It looks into the lives of the Elements of Harmony starting from only a couple of months ago and delves deep into their own problems and the lessons learned while facing them. The book received widespread acclaim for its interesting insight into the lives of the ponies who saved Equestria several times, of which I’m sure everypony is truly grateful for. However, it did not come without some criticism, which eventually threatened to spread into the Element’s personal lives. As such, the book was pulled from many bookstores and is now a rare commodity. So, is it still worth it? Should you still spend over 50 bits for this book? Well, it’s more complicated than just a yes or no. Let me explain. The book is broken into a non-linear format, discussing each of the Mane Six and individual journal entries of which describes a problem the pony faced, and how they learned from it. It also helps if you personally know the Elements themselves, of which many do.  Let’s start with the positives. First off, I actually liked the way the book is written. A common criticism I found of the book was the journal format, and how most would have preferred a more common, novel-like format. However, I actually don’t mind the writing format used here. Despite not producing a pinpoint plot, the entries help us get to know these characters, and become more personal with them. However, a negative does also arise from that positive. While lack of plots can keep a book interesting, when it’s all essentially lessons, there needs to be some sort of cohesive plotline tying everything together. There are a lot of lessons in here that are just obvious filler. We don’t need a whole letter about settling arguments about cake. They should have kept the important journal entries and left out the rest. What we would have gotten there would be a shorter book, but one that portrays its themes in a more direct manner. Now it is time to discuss the characters, or the Elements of Harmony. However, three of them have sisters, and they are actually my favorite characters. You see Apple Bloom- Sweet Pepper didn’t know how long it had been since she stopped writing. Or since she started writing in the first place. Really, she didn’t even know what time it was. Probably night.  She was sitting on her twin bed, writing by lamplight. In front of her, she had an open Daring Do collectors notebook and a book with a gold horseshoe and purple star in the middle. She just wanted to get this one thing done. She already read the damn book, it should have been easy to review it. An easy way to get her name around town. Judging by her messy hair and bloodshot eyes, it turned out harder than she thought.  Damn it, this review is no good either. Look, I contradict myself when talking about the plot structure! Who introduces their thoughts on characters that sloppily? And why is it so wordy? This is a newspaper review, not a college essay! Oh my Celestia, I even forgot to add my criticisms about how characters are introduced! Can I do anything right?  Her frustration at its peak, the chili red pegasus ripped out the paper from the notebook, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it down on the floor with the other scraps and Cheezy Nibbler bags. She’d clean those up tomorrow.  Pen in mouth ready, Sweet Pepper got ready to try again. 6’th time’s the charm. She only got two words down when a crucial thought came to her mind: What time is it? Sweet Pepper looked over at her nightstand and her alarm clock. She gawked at the 1:00 displayed in neon red by the small, black device. No, that couldn’t be right. She only started writing at nine, there’s no way she seriously spent four hours writing and reading about a journal.  Four hours, and absolutely no progress. She needed to stop dazing off in these important situations. Even if she needed to figure out how to write a sequel to ‘Daring Do and Ahuizotl’s Curse’ because of popular demand. Sweet Pepper wanted to get mad at herself for wasting such valuable writing time. Work’s been so hard, and nopony wants to buy spices or oils anymore. In the summer. She was pretty sure that was supposed to be a good combination or something. Oh well, it’s only June. It’s more of a July thing. But still, the spice hasn’t been selling, and those ingredients weren’t getting any cheaper. She needed to spend as much time as she could selling those damn oils, and she ended up getting so burned out over it every day.  Only a recent large purchase in tabasco (by Pinkie Pie, again) let Sweet Pepper take a weekend break. Why not spend it by writing this review for Ponyville Confidential and get it done well before the 30-day deadline hits? Yet she wasted the whole thing, and she got nowhere. She had a reason to hate herself surely. But upon realization of the time, Sweet Pepper finally felt how truly tired she was. Her wings were sore, her eyes kept closing by themselves, and her vision was getting blurrier and blurrier by the second.  Sweet Pepper yawned and began to throw off the journal and jungle-colored notebook to the floor with the paper balls and junk food. She’d clean those up tomorrow. She flattened out her sheets before snuggling up underneath them. She took one last look around her dimly lit room with fading vision. The dozen or so Daring Do posters and small wooden bookshelf seemed to tell her one thing: “Go to sleep, Sweet Pepper.” Another yawn. She should really be getting on that sleep. Besides, she had lunch with Citrine Sparks tomorrow. It was good to appear well-rested in front of her friend. She wanted a good eleventh impression after all.  Sweet Pepper reached a hoof over to her nightstand and turned the lamp off, bringing the small bedroom into the dark. It didn’t take long for Sweet Pepper to give into her tiredness. Oh well, she’d just write tomorrow and see if she could find some better luck. Probably. Hopefully.