Sun Salutation

Chapters

June 6th
June 7th
June 8th
June 9th
June 10th
June 11th
June 13th
June 14th
June 5th
June 12th
June 15th

June 6th

Dear Journal,

What. A. Day.

I nearly forgot that Ember from the Dragon Lands was coming to Canterlot today for brunch. I swear, I feel like sometimes I'd lose my mane if it wasn't constantly defying gravity atop my head. And the most frustrating thing is that it never used to be like this. Forgetting about such an important meeting just isn't like me, but it's been starting to happen every once in a while. Luna insists that it's stress, but that's simply absurd. My mind has just been occupied with many things at the same time. Many, many things. As the leader of a nation, that kind of thing is absolutely normal.

I'm quite happy that nopony (hopefully) is reading this, because looking back on that last bit, I suppose I can see an argument for saying that I'm just trying to convince myself. That's not the case though.

Brunch went quite well, despite my nearly forgetting about it. Ember is a very enjoyable sort to be around, albeit a little gruff at times. I've never before seen anypony insist on greeting with a chest bump. Maybe Twilight was onto something with that little fantasy of hers. Also, chest scales are not quite as hard as I expected.

From there, it was on to appointment after appointment. I may have come across a little...short, I suppose...when dealing with the mayor of Whinneapolis. I hope he didn't get too offended, but I just don't understand why a royal meeting needed to be held to decide what colors to make the uniforms for their buckball team. I did make sure to apologize to him for my suggestion of throwing random paints into a bucket and seeing what they made. I truly thought it a good idea at the time, but I suppose I could understand how it might come off as rude. I do hope they are satisfied with the purple costumes I finally chose. I think I'll refrain from telling him that I just went with the first color that popped into my head. The deeper meaning he came up with was quite interesting.

At least one thing went decently today. I had my first meeting with Tree Hugger, the personal trainer/yoga instructor I hired. Today's meeting was simply to test the waters and see if she was the type that I wanted to stick around. Not that I have anything against any of my subjects, but I can picture some ponies being difficult to work with in this capacity. Imagine Pinkie Pie in this position? I adore Pinkie, but there would be no chance of relaxation, and I'd be eating even more cake than Luna claims that I eat now! Thankfully, Tree Hugger does not seem to be one of those ponies. We had a small chat over exactly what she would be doing for me, and I must say that I already felt a little more at ease just speaking with her. I don't know how to explain it, but she has a very calming tone about her. I suppose that's good for somepony who does what she'll be doing. I swear, after the day I had, that bit of relaxation was greatly appreciated. I still don't think I need a yoga instructor–and certainly not a personal trainer–but I suppose if she's going to be this pleasant, it couldn't hurt to let her do her thing.

Anyway, I should cut this entry short here. So much to do tomorrow. I'll write again tomorrow evening.

-Celestia

June 7th

Dear Journal,

I am terribly thankful that things I write in my own private journal is for my eyes and my eyes only, because I am about to go on a rant of epic proportions.

Today was the Prime Minister of Trottingham's birthday, and Luna and I had promised to go to his celebration. Sounds simple and easy, right? Well, naturally, it wasn't. Getting Luna to go to an event like this during the day is no easy feat in itself. I suppose I can forgive her seeing as how she's so busy during the night, but we didn't have to leave for the party until 2:00! Certainly she could have gotten a decent morning's sleep and woken up in time to go. But of course, by the time I finished up my meetings with Prince Rutherford of Yakyakistan and Ambassador Gilda of Griffonstone, she still hadn't woken up!

By the by, I've never met an ambassador as rough around the edges as Gilda. I recognize that friendship is a new concept to the griffons, but really now? Her comments on Prince Rutherford's culture nearly caused an international incident! One would think an ambassador would have a bit more tact, no? It was very fortunate for all parties involved that I was able to talk Prince Rutherford down before war was declared. I hear that once yaks declare a war, they stop at nothing until a winner has been decided. All the better that we avoided it, but still a very frustrating situation. I agreed to hold a banquet for the yaks and griffons exactly one week from today. If there's anything that can calm nerves and foster a positive relationship between two sides, it's a good old-fashioned party.

So Luna was late waking up. By the time she finally dragged her rump out of bed, it was nearly 1:30! There was practically no time for her to get ready! I had to help her brush her mane, and I have enough trouble wrangling mine when it decides to be extra wavy. Hers is a completely different animal. And could you believe she wanted to carefully arrange the stars in it to form constellations? She's been trying to impress the Prime Minister for her own personal reasons for a while now, but if that is her aim, then she should plan her time better to achieve it. Perhaps if she wanted to form Cygnus and Piscis Austrinus in her mane, she should have woken up on time. With the time we had, we were lucky to manage the Little Dipper. We ended up leaving 15 minutes late, and Luna knows how much I value my punctuality.

I wish I could say the frustration ended there, but the party was a pain in itself. I love all my subjects, but one thing that many of them do not realize is that when Luna and I are out for pleasure and not business, we are likely not looking to discuss business. Nearly everypony I met at the Prime Minister's party had some manner of agenda that they wanted to discuss with me. I didn't feel right waving them off, so I met every issue of theirs with a smile, but all I wanted to do was unwind. And Luna was no help at all. She was practically glued to the Prime Minister's side. I'm happy for her, of course. Companionship is a wonderful thing, and she and the Prime Minister seem to mesh rather well. At the same time, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. I haven't had that manner of companionship in at least a century or so. A pony in my position doesn't always have time for such things, but that doesn't mean she can't want it, does it? Needless to say, I left the party in a rather sour mood.

That mood didn't last terribly long, however. Tonight was my first actual session with Tree Hugger. There's just something relaxing about her presence and poise. I suppose that comes with the territory, given her job. And she seems rather intuitive. Even upon first arriving, she told me that she could tell my chakras were misaligned. I didn't want to bother her with my problems, though. Perhaps I shouldn't have lied and said that everything was fine, but she didn't need to hear about the frustrations of the day. That's what writing in here is for, and I wouldn't want to burden her with my problems.

We started with some meditation. I've had my doubts in the past about meditation, but for some reason, sitting still with my eyes closed while Tree Hugger instructed me on when to breathe really managed to calm my nerves. As for the stretching...well, I'm going to chalk my inability to stretch quite like she did up to my age and her experience, and certainly not my dessert portions. Luna claims they are too large, but she fails to understand that I am a bit taller than her and thus need a little more. And besides, I burn off enough of it in my daily tasks. My metabolism is quite high, thank you very much. Tree Hugger, though...goodness, I've never seen a pony stretch and pose quite like she does. I'm quite thankful once again that this is a private journal, because I have to admit that my mind wandered a teensy bit when watching her. But any pony in my position would have done the same.

That's it from me for tonight. I'm afraid I hear my bed calling. As usual, I have another busy day tomorrow, and that's not even taking into account the planning I need to start doing for this yak-griffon soirée. Hopefully tomorrow will go a bit smoother than today did.

-Celestia

June 8th

Dear Journal,

To this day, I still cannot quite understand how some ponies can be so incapable of getting along with each other. I mean, I like to think that we're a mostly peaceful and friendly sort, but some ponies just seem to be determined to prove me wrong in that aspect.

To the surprise of nopony, today was quite busy. I've been forgetting dates here and there, so I hadn't realized until moments after I woke up that it was time for the Canterlot Origami Expo, and whenever that time rolls around, the city gets very, very hectic. I'm afraid I'll never quite understand why either. Yes, the works that the ponies display are very impressive, but the COE draws more and more attendees every year and ponies seem to get more and more rabid over it with each passing expo. Perhaps it's one of those things that is best understood by those ponies of this generation. I was certainly interested in things in my youth that my mother was never able to understand. In fact, she still doesn't get some of them.

Reminder: Write to mother soon.

Anyway, as I was making the rounds and judging the pieces for the big competition, I ran into two ponies in the midst of a very heated argument over the pieces. And they weren't even the creators of any of the pieces! This genre certainly invokes feelings in ponies that are far stronger than I would have expected. Their argument stemmed from which folding technique was better, and I had barely a clue what either one of them was talking about. I've considered asking the committee if they would like to find a judge who knows more about the subject matter, but they seem to take pride in having royalty judge the competition. I enjoy doing it anyway, so it all works out.

It took some cajoling to stop the argument before it caused a scene. Ponies tend to bow in my presence–and I've told you before how unnecessary I believe that is, but ponies will be ponies. These two were so embroiled in their debate that they did nothing of the sort. My voice could barely get through their quibbles. I must admit that I was beginning to get a bit flustered, but it was then that I remembered the breathing exercises that I had worked on with Tree Hugger the night before. Taking deep breaths and hearing her calming voice in the back of my mind allowed me to center myself and find the ability to mediate the ponies' argument. It took a little talking, but cooler heads eventually prevailed, and the two ended up shaking hooves by the end of it.

The rest of the expo, while very busy, went rather well. I think I picked some good winners, if I do say so myself. As is tradition, the winners will be coming by the palace on the 14th to display their works and have brunch, and they seem like a pleasant bunch, so that should be nice. My entire day was taken up by the expo, but I still had time to meet with Tree Hugger at night. I told her how her breathing techniques helped me relax, and she told me how proud she was of me. It's odd for me, a Princess of Equestria, to have one of my subjects speak to me like that. Usually it's me telling other ponies that I'm proud of them. Even if they are proud of me for something, ponies tend to be a little too...reverential to think of speaking to me like that. I may be a Princess, but I am a pony too. I wish more ponies would realize that. Thankfully, Tree Hugger seems to understand. This little flip of the script felt rather good.

I think this arrangement with Tree Hugger may actually be working out. I may wish to wait a bit to tell Luna, though. I can already envision the satisfied smirk that would adorn her face were she to know that she may have been right.

Another busy day tomorrow. Wish me luck!

-Celestia

June 9th

Dear Journal,

Did you know there was a Diamond Dog problem just outside of Ponyville? I certainly didn't until today. I used to know about problems that threatened to befall my land well in advance of them becoming major issues. Am I losing my touch?

Mayor Mare came to the palace this morning in such a tizzy, I thought she'd run out of gray mane dye. Apparently, a tribe of Diamond Dogs has been weaseling their way towards Ponyville through the mine system that lies beneath it, and now they had even taken a pony hostage! Plans had to be changed around immediately to travel to Ponyville and work things out. I'm sure the mayors of Manehattan and Baltimare will understand that I had to cancel our brunch. An international incident is certainly a pressing matter.

Thankfully, the matter didn't end up being nearly as pressing as Mayor Mare made it seem. Upon reaching Ponyville and making my way to where the Diamond Dogs were seen, I found a cheerful group of Diamond Pups having a nice, quiet teatime with one Miss Maud Pie. As it turns out, dear Pinkie Pie has a small history with Diamond Dogs and assumed the worst when she saw some with her sister. So I cancelled plans and made a trip for no reason at all. Though I can't possibly be upset about that. The safety of my ponies comes first, and I'd rather check and find nothing than take no action and risk that safety. I could have done without the stress that the situation put on me, though.

Speaking of stress, I know I said it yesterday, but I really think hiring Tree Hugger was the right thing to do. I got home from Ponyville to find that she had shown up early for our session. She was sitting outside the palace, playing a sitar. She must have been in some manner of zone, because her eyes were closed as she played, and she didn't even hear me approach. The music was so lovely and soothing, I couldn't help but sit down nearby and listen. I could have alerted her to my presence, but I didn't want to interrupt the music. She gave me such a warm smile when she finished and opened her eyes to see me. I thought I was going to surprise her, but it was she who surprised me when she gave me a pat on the shoulder.

I know I've mentioned this before in the past, but so many ponies look at me and my sister and think of us as being on such high pedestals above them. I know Cadance experiences this too, and I've heard that Twilight's slowly beginning to notice it as well. Many ponies out there just think that we're more than just ponies because of our titles, and that they barely deserve to speak to us at all, let alone touch us. I really wish that wasn't the case. I mean, I don't want ponies just...constantly coming up and touching me or anything. I just want to be treated like the pony I am, rather than some exalted figure meant to be worshipped. So few ponies seem to understand that, but Tree Hugger seemed to have gotten it right off the bat. She seems to look at me as not just a Princess, but a pony, and I can't even say how much I appreciate that. She gets it. And I think she gets me.

We went over a series of stretches tonight. Funnily enough, she said it was called the "Sun Salutation." I have to wonder whether that's the accepted name or if she customized it for my benefit. I tried to copy her, but some of those stretches feel like they're just outside of my ability. It starts off with a rather impressive back bend, and well, I'm just not used to moving that way. Tree Hugger, though...she's as graceful as they come. I'm very impressed by her, and not so impressed at my own abilities. I'll get there, though. I'm sure I can eventually stretch like she does. I'm determined to make her proud like she said I did for her.

It's about time for me to get to bed. The brunch that was cancelled today is now taking place tomorrow, so I'll have to shift my schedule a bit once again, but I can make it work. And I still need to prepare for the party for the yaks and griffons! A Princess's work is never done. At least these sessions with Tree Hugger have been going well.

-Celestia

June 10th

Dear Journal,

Today was Tree Hugger's day off, and as luck would have it, today was a day where I needed her badly.

I should have known how the day was going to go when raising the sun took more effort than it should have. It's something I do every day, so I should have a good handle on it. And yet every here and there, my magic just seems to not want to cooperate. It took nearly ten minutes to raise it up, and that's just far too long. This often happens right in the middle of a very busy series of days, so I'm inclined to think the two are connected. I knew the stress was starting to get to me, but I didn't think it was that bad yet.

And then the brunch...goodness, the brunch. The mayors of Manehattan and Baltimare are twins. One would think that two twins would get along well together. One would think a lot of things, really. The two were arguing from practically the moment they arrived. Durock thinks the buildings in Baltimare need a complete overhaul and believes Golden Gate is unconcerned with that aspect of her city. And of course, Golden Gate vehemently disagrees with her brother and thinks he needs to work on his city's infrastructure. I truly wish I could say that this was the only thing they disagreed on, but that is so far from the truth that to get from one to the other would require an entire day's worth of train travel, with a layover in Duluth.

Note to self: work on better analogies. Maybe workshop with Applejack.

Second note to self: Consider paperwork to change the name of Duluth. It doesn't really match our usual city-naming conventions.

I worked so hard to get those two to calm down and stop arguing. I tried my usual methods of calming down arguments, attempting to point out the merits and flaws of both sides and the like, but they simply would not let up. By the time I finally got fed up, they had stopped arguing about the issues at hand and had switched over to what had to be decades-old childhood conflicts. Until today, it had been quite a long while since I had employed the use of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Hopefully it will be at least as long until I need to again. But at least it quieted things down.

Royal court was in session after brunch, and I was still wound up from the earlier incidents. Thankfully, I was able to calm myself down beforehand. The ten or so minutes I had before I was needed were just enough to find a nice, quiet place to sit down and meditate. I swear I could hear Tree Hugger's voice in my head as I relaxed and let my troubles flow away. It was so gloriously relaxing that I was nearly late for court! I was tempted to even try a stretch or two, but time simply wouldn't allow for it. The meditation did the trick, though, and lasted me a good amount of time. Not enough time to cover the entirety of court, though, and the last few hearings truly were a doozy. I cannot talk about exactly what happened inside those walls, of course, but it took a lot out of me.

I returned to the palace and waited eagerly for a few moments, only to remember just then that today was Tree Hugger's day off. I was surprised with how much that disappointed me, especially given how uncertain I was about the whole idea before I hired her. I do enjoy my position, but with how busy and stressful my days have been, coming home to have a session with her has already become a highlight of my day. Perhaps I should treat her to something special for that. I'm already paying her, but a little bonus couldn't hurt.

And then I got to have my day end in further irritation as Luna woke up. She seemed in a better mood than usual, which shouldn't have bothered me at all. I like seeing my sister happy, which is why it frustrated me that much more to realize how jealous it made me when she told me that she would be bringing the Prime Minister of Trottingham to the party I was throwing for the yaks and griffons. As her date, she said. I really, truly am happy for her...but why can't that be me? Why can't I have a date to the party? How will it look that one of us has a date and the other does not? And why do I have to be this jealous of somepony I love so much? Why does this jealousy have to interfere with the joy I should be feeling at seeing her so happy? It doesn't make sense...I've been around for so long, and yet this kind of feeling still doesn't make sense to me.

Perhaps a good night's sleep will help get my mind off of this. I truly hope this is the case.

-Celestia

June 11th

Dear Journal,

Well, we can add another title to my name after tonight's events. I am Celestia, Princess of the Sun, of Equestria, and of Impulse Decisions That May Damage Budding Friendships.

I can explain! That doesn't fully absolve me of the decisions I made, but explanation is possible.

I actually had very little on my schedule for today, so much so that it was practically a day off. So I decided to make the most of it and go out to get things together for the party on Saturday. Yaks have very particular tastes, and griffons don't like much of anything from my experiences with them, so finding the right supplies for a party that both would enjoy was...vexing, to say the least. In retrospect, I probably should have contacted Pinkie Pie and using her expertise in this area. It may sound silly, but the concept completely slipped my mind. Maybe it was a deep-seeded pride issue, an urge to fix everything myself rather than bringing other ponies in to do the jobs that I requisition off to them. Or maybe I just didn't think of it. I like to think it's the latter. Sometimes you just need to take things at face value.

I had to go to four different stores, but I finally found what I believe to be passable party supplies. "Passable" is often not good enough for yaks, but I've been led to believe that the yaks have mellowed out a bit since my last dealings with them, so I'm going to hope that they find everything to be acceptable. As for the griffons, I really have to just hope that they don't especially hate anything. It's so hard to play to what one likes when one does not really like anything. The thought that I got in over my head with this party did spring to mind once or twice, but I'm sure I can handle this. I've fostered friendship between warring nations, not to mention the fact that I co-run a nation of my own on a daily basis. A party should be foal's play.

I hope.

I was supposed to enjoy a light game of golf with Cadance this afternoon, and I must admit I was looking forward to it. Golf is not always the most exciting game in the world, but it was one of the few things on my itinerary whose sole intent was pleasure, and I do so enjoy spending time with my niece. That, unfortunately, had to be put on hold. An envoy from the Crystal Empire arrived at the palace shortly after I returned from shopping to inform me that Flurry Heart was feeling ill and Cadance would be unable to attend. I do hope she's alright, but Cadance and Shining Armor do tend to overreact when it comes to their daughter. I suppose I can understand though. If I had a child, I imagine I would be similar.

Oh, it would be so wonderful to have a child of my own someday...

So golf was out of the question. This actually ended up working out well, because on what was otherwise a day mostly off, I found myself forced to answer for the attitude problems of my dear nephew. Blueblood...he's not a bad pony by any means, but, well...he has a way of prickling at other ponies' patience. Today, he happened to prickle the wrong pony, and I had to fly all the way to Las Pegasus to calm things down. He had apparently earned the ire of one of the casino owners, and I was needed to quell both of their tempers. This was one of the few times where I actually hoped that a pony would treat me with reverence like most usually do, but the owner was not having it at first. Thankfully, cooler heads eventually prevailed, and the extreme violence that the casino owner was wishing upon Blueblood was avoided.

This trip, of course, led to me being slightly late for my meeting with Thorax. Thorax didn't seem to be the least bit offended by this, but being late, especially for royal business, frustrates me so. The meeting went well, but the day's pitfalls were really getting to me, and I nearly called him "Chrysalis" as he was leaving. He told me he believed me when I tried to claim that it was simply an odd cough, but I still worry that I may have offended him.

Luna was already awake when I returned home for my meeting with Tree Hugger. All she could talk about was her date for Saturday's party as she hung the lavender from the hallway sconces. She made sure to spend the whole talk prominently displaying the bouquet of umbral lilies that Prime Minister Apollo Cruise had sent her. The way they glowed when I'm the vicinity of her mane was both lovely and irritating. I really, truly am happy for her, and I know she isn't purposely flaunting and lording her ability to procure a date over me, but it certainly feels like it sometimes, and the jealousy that I wish I didn't have certainly can't tell the difference between bragging and not bragging.

Which is what led to the impulse decision I mentioned earlier. Tree Hugger was helping me with the stretches she'd been teaching me. She was very hooves-on with her approach, always reaching out and gently nudging at parts of my body to help get me into position, seemingly without a care in the world that I was her Princess. It was just...so refreshing to be treated as an equal rather than a superior, and she kept speaking in that soothing voice of hers, and my mind was so wound up over Luna and her date...

And that is why I invited Tree Hugger to be my date for the party. It was an impulse decision, but something about it just felt right at the time.

Until it started feeling wrong when Tree Hugger said that she would let me know her answer tomorrow, just before taking her leave. Granted, our session was over, so she wasn't just abandoning ship, but I still worry I overstepped my boundaries and made her uncomfortable. I know it sounds odd, but there's something about her that just makes me feel good...about her, about myself, about lots of things. She's an unorthodox mare with a beautiful soul, who treats me in a manner that very few other ponies would. And now I fear I may have messed everything up. I am an alicorn Princess, and yet I still worry like anypony else about things like this.

I suppose I'll write tomorrow and update you on what happened. I just hope I can manage to get some rest before that happens.

-Celestia

June 13th

Dear Journal,

First off, I would like to apologize for my incredibly brief entry last night. I didn't even remember to sign my name at the end! Goodness, I was in quite the state.

I suppose I was just elated that I hadn't ruined my new friendship with Tree Hugger and that I wouldn't be going to the party tomorrow alone while my sister was bringing a date. Granted, there is nothing wrong with going solo to a party. I've certainly done so plenty of times. I suppose it was partially jealousy over my sister finding somepony that fueled my desire to not go stag this time. And perhaps a bit of loneliness too. As I've said before, ponies often seem to feel like it's hard to get close to me. I truly wish that wasn't the case. I try to appear approachable, and it's worked for the most part, but being approachable as a leader and friend is an entirely different animal from being approachable physically and romantically.

And that is not to say that I'm approaching this whole thing from a purely romantic standpoint. I've not yet decided if that's exactly what I want. Tree Hugger is a very nice pony with a refreshingly peaceful outlook on life. She sees me as a pony, not just a Princess. She's got a rough, rugged attractiveness to her, and my goodness is she flexible...

Calm down, Celestia. You're fawning.

My main goal for this is to foster more of a friendship with Tree Hugger. If she and I decide that we want more from this, then we shall see what happens from there, but the main focus–other than creating an enjoyable environment for the yaks and griffons, of course–is making sure she has a good time. We'll worry about moving things along down a more romantic road if it comes to that. And that is strictly an if. If she's not looking for that, then I won't try to force anything she's not interested in. If I am even interested. I'm not yet certain.

I spent most of today preparing for the party, and if I may be slightly self-indulgent (and I may, as this is my journal and I make the rules :) ) I think I've done a rather terrific job of it. Pinkie Pie would be proud of the arrangements, if I do say so myself. The decorations for the yaks are yaklike enough to instill a feeling of home, yet unique enough to avoid the feeling of trying too hard. The griffons seem to appreciate things that recognize their history, so I made sure to include statues of their past monarchs to show our appreciation for their culture.

It's a tiny bit embarrassing to admit, but I spent a fair bit of time today primping myself up for the party as well. I normally try to present myself as best I can for events like this, but now that I actually have a plus one, I need to make sure I look my absolute best. Tree Hugger will have the most resplendent date at the party if I have any say in it. And I've heard Luna is dressing to the nines for Apollo. I love my dear sister with all my heart, but the sun does shine brightest, and I must live up to that. I even had my mane done! That is a rare occasion for me. It's not so much a resistance to having it done; it's just difficult. I mean, how many ponies have a mane that constantly moves on its own?

Tonight was Tree Hugger's other day off, but I did my best to meditate and work on my stretches on my own time. I'm still not as bendy as she is, but I think I'm actually getting closer.

She is very bendy.

...Head out of the gutter, Celestia.

Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day. I can tell from now, and I'll make sure to update tomorrow night on how it all went. I can't seem to shake the feeling that I am forgetting something, but if it's not coming to mind, it probably isn't very important.

-Celestia

June 14th

Dear Journal,

What a day.

After raising the sun, I delayed my usual breakfast a bit, knowing that Tree Hugger would be here nice and early and wishing to share it with her. She was a little later than I expected, and my belly was rebelling against the delay, but it was worth the wait. The dress she chose for the party was so simple, and yet it worked perfectly for her. Not everypony needs to dress in decadence to look lovely, and she was quite a sight. And she seemed to like the work I put into my appearance. She even said I looked "far out!" My word, it's been a while since I've heard that phrase. She has such an interesting vernacular, and when combined with her calm, gentle tone, I could listen to her talk all day.

Unfortunately, the troubles started immediately after breakfast. I mentioned in yesterday's entry that I felt like I was forgetting something and suggested that it probably wasn't important. As it turned out, I was quite wrong about that. The "not important" part, not the "forgetting something" part. Tree and I–Tree is the best I could come up with for a nickname for her...my nicknaming could use some work–headed down to the banquet hall, expecting to see everything set up for the party. As it turned out, we did see that. What we also saw, and what I did not expect to see, were the tables with various origami structures planted right in the middle of everything.

Somehow, I managed to not connect the dots and realize that the 14th, the day that the winners of the COE would be here, happened to be the same day that I'd planned this party. If I could only choose one symptom of the stress I've been under to rid myself of completely, it would be the whole "forgetting things" rigamarole.

I could already feel the tension and worry start to build, but I had to keep it together, not only for general public appearance but for Tree. I was certain that she would take it as an affront to her efforts with me if I were to break down. With all she did for me already, I didn't want to make her think her efforts were fruitless, so I did my best to keep a relaxed smile on my face. The fact that the folders had left many of their creations all over the decorations I'd arranged for the party was not helping manners.

I tried to gently and respectfully explain to the folders that today was not exactly the best day for our brunch, but they were rather averse to the idea of rescheduling. The winners' brunch was always the Saturday after the expo, they were sure to tell me. I should have realized that ponies who were so meticulous about their papercrafts were likely to be equally meticulous about other things, such as scheduling and adhering to tradition. A helpful little smile from Tree reminded me of her breathing techniques, and I was sure to employ them to calm myself down. Once I was relaxed, I knew that I could make this work.

And that was when the yaks and griffons showed up.

There was a brief shoving match as Prince Rutherford and Ambassador Gilda attempted to both enter the banquet hall at the same time. Yaks may be a good deal larger than griffons, but griffons are a rather scrappy sort, as was evident by the fact that Rutherford did not immediately bowl Gilda over. This, of course, led to an all-out argument between the two sides. Things were already going so poorly, but I could not and would not break. It took quite a bit of talking, and quite a lot of Tree's breathing techniques between bouts of talking, but I was eventually able to calm the two sides down. I was going to attempt to coax some apologies out of both sides, but I am an alicorn Princess, not a miracle worker.

As it turned out, things only stayed calm for a scant few minutes. Both sides had questions as to why there was a random group of ponies also in attendance, but neither had any manner of real problem with it. What they did have a problem with was the smattering of origami sculptures around the room, particularly on the decorations I'd set out. Rutherford and the yaks were quick to anger over the fact that origami most certainly did not fit into their typical decor, and Gilda and the griffons were infuriated over the disrespect of their past monarchs by decorating them in papercraft. And of course, when asked to move their works, the folders got offended as well, stating that COE winners are always allowed to decorate for their brunch as they see fit.

I guess Tree could sense that I was starting to lose my cool, because I felt her hoof on my side. That little gesture was enough to bring me down from the edge, and I did my best to try and mediate things between all three sides. It was just then that Luna and Apollo entered the hall. As much as I adored my dress, I had to admit to myself that the one Luna chose was even more resplendent. As much of a hit to my ego as that was, I found myself more relieved that I had my sister here to back me up and help set things in order. As with everything else, though, this didn't go according to plan. Luna, rather engaged in making herself look good to Apollo, took one look at the papercraft around the room and immediately questioned why such things had been placed to sully the multicultural presence.

And that set everything off. The folders immediately became offended and began protesting their rights to decorate once more. The yaks and griffons, now bolstered by Luna's words, flocked upon the paper crafts, hurling whatever they could grab to the ground and angering the folders even more. I was almost able to appreciate the fact that the two sides were able to find common ground and work together, but that went right out the window when one of the yaks accidentally (at least I assume it was accidentally) knocked a statue of King Grover to the ground. Gilda was the first to notice, and apparently this was the greatest offense ever inflicted upon her. She responded by wrecking one of the piles of things I left for the yaks to stomp when they so desired. This upset the yaks greatly, which made no sense to me since those things were there to wreck anyway. And then all pandemonium broke loose. I tried to calm things down, as did Luna, but all three sides were beyond control. I cast a look down towards Tree, and she looked back up at me with the most unsure look I'd ever seen on her face. That look was my breaking point, and I quickly excused myself for what I claimed was a quick powder.

The second I closed that bathroom door, I broke down. It had been ages since I'd had a good cry, but things going so utterly wrong when I needed them to go right, and that stacked with not only the other stressful things I'd been dealing with, but the fact that this had all happened in front of Tree...it was just too much for me. Yes, I am an alicorn Princess, known for keeping order and being calm in the face of adversity, but I am a pony too, and one pony can only take so much.

I'm not sure exactly how long I was in there, but it wasn't terribly long before I felt a hoof in my mane. Tree had come in to check on me. I didn't want her to see me like that and see that her attempts to reduce my stress had been for naught, and yet there she was. My shame only grew, but instead of getting upset at her apparent failure, she simply sat by me and continued to stroke my mane. Her patience with me was just...stunning. She told me that she and Luna managed to calm the three groups down while I was gone, and that everything was fine now. I attempted to apologize for not employing her stress-saving techniques and losing my cool, but she told me that most ponies would have cracked sooner under that kind of stress, and that she was "like, totally proud of me" for holding up as long as I did.

And then it was time for the Princess of Impulse Decisions to make her return. I guess the touching nature of what she said, combined with how wonderful she made me feel about myself, how much she seemed to just get me, and maybe a bit of how nice she looked made for a rather potent combination, because before I knew it, I had leaned in and kissed her. It was certainly not part of the plan I had for the party, and I pulled away rather quickly after doing so. Tree looked shocked, which was an expression I hadn't yet seen on her face, and I nearly started to worry once again that I might have ruined everything. Those worries were quickly quelled as Tree's calm smile returned.

"Far out," she said. And it was far out, indeed.

I'm sure other things happened after that, but I must admit that most of my focus was taken away for a fair portion of it.

What a day. What a wonderful day.

-Celestia

June 5th

Dear Journal,

It has been quite a while since I've written to you, hasn't it? Things have just been so busy around the palace lately, so much so that nightly journal writing has unfortunately fallen to the wayside, much as it pains me to say. The life of a princess is a demanding one, and honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. Anypony who's seen what I've written in here can attest to that, although I certainly hope nopony is snooping.

Luna, if you're reading this, please close the book now. You can already browse my dreams; one secret place is all I ask for.

Anyway, things seem to have gotten exponentially busier recently. So many dignitaries to entertain, so many ambassadors to appease, and the public appearances...oh mercy, the public appearances. I love it all, but one pony only has so much love to give.

Cadance, if you're reading this, I do not need to increase the size of my love by 25%.

Speaking of increasing sizes...that's part of the reason that I felt such a need to write tonight. As part of a plan to reduce my levels of stress, my thoughtful and caring sister has decided that I should hire myself a personal trainer and yoga instructor. I would like to believe that her only intentions for suggesting such actions was to reduce my stress, but given that she threw in a number of references to the amount of cake I allegedly eat, I'm rather certain her intentions were twofold. She is certainly one to speak, what with the full moon she has been sporting as of late.

Now I almost hope you are reading this, dear sister. Be certain that I am saying this with love.

I did find one to hire to make her happy, and I'm scheduled to have my first meeting with her tomorrow. To be perfectly honest, though, I'm actually a little nervous about the whole thing. I know I might come off a bit vain putting this in writing, but I worry that my subjects will look at me in a different light if word of this gets out. I don't believe myself to be perfect by any means, but I've become aware that some of my subjects view me as such and may have a hard time dealing with contradicting evidence. Although I don't recall ever claiming that I was perfect...but ponies will be ponies, and some will exaggerate and come up with facts and ideas on a whim. I only just learned that I am apparently an expression. "Celestia Knows Where?" It still makes me chuckle.

Anyway, I suppose I'll humor my sister and see this instructor. I'm not sure how much it could help, but it couldn't hurt. And if any of my subjects have an issue with it, I'll just have to calmly explain to them that even alicorns can't be completely infallible. Hopefully they'll take the news well. It probably won't last long, anyway. I'm not as stressed as Luna thinks, and I think I still have a very nice figure. If anypony in this palace needs to trim down, it's Luna. There's a reason I refer to her entering a room as a "Lunar Eclipse."

I love you, dear sister :heart:

-Celestia

June 12th

Dear Journal,

She said yes!

June 15th

Dear Journal,

It's been wonderful to write in you again. I can promise I'll try to do so more in the future. However, a large portion of why I did so was as part of my attempts to reduce my stress. Now that things with Tree have progressed as they have, I'm getting the feeling my levels of stress might not be quite as high as they have been. Sure, it'll still be there, but, well...she calms me down so much. Don't worry, I won't completely stop writing, no matter what!

Tree and I are going to try and take things as they come. Not too fast, not too slow, hopefully just right. That kiss was a bit faster than necessary, I believe, but it was saved by virtue of being well-timed and well-received. From here on, we'll probably take it just a bit slower than that. However, if she wishes to speed things up...well, I can't say I'll be too upset.

For now, I should get back to my day. Yes, I'm writing this entry a bit earlier than usual. It is my journal, and I may write when I please :) If I were to write later, it might interfere with my slightly-later-than-usual session with Tree tonight. She says she has some special stretches to show me, and I simply cannot wait. Oh, I feel like a schoolfilly again...

-Celestia