Even though she had only had the role of Head-Mare for a relatively short period of time, there was no denying the fact that Twilight had settled into said role quite well. As such, she was the very model of prim and proper as she sat behind her desk, with all of her stationary and folders and papers all neatly arranged in that typical Twilight-esque way of hers. However, while she was usually upbeat about her work here at the school, there seemed to be less joy in her today. Indeed, she actually came across as being somewhat nervous about something, as she simply sat in silence, listening to the gentle ticks and tocks of the wall upon her clock. However, there came a time when this solitude was brought to an end, and the door of her office began to slowly creak open. Twilight looked to it intently, and soon saw, poking around the thing, was the head of one of her students, Silverstream the Hippogriff.

"You...wanted to see me, Miss Twilight?"

Nodding, Twilight gestured to a chair on the opposite side of her desk.

"I did. Please, take a seat, Silverstream."

Now, Silverstream was well-known at this point to practically radiate positivity, and because of this, she entered the office with a smile that no other student would have even considered wearing when told to arrive at a Principal's office. Naturally, given what she knew she was going to have to say, this aforementioned joy on the part of her student didn't give Twilight any comfort at all. But, for now, she stayed quiet, watching as the young Hippogriff got comfortable in her chair.

"So...what did you want to talk about?"

Taking a deep breath, Twilight soon let out a long sigh.

"Silverstream...it has come to my attention that, during your time here, you've developed...a hobby of some sort."

Here, Silverstream blushed a little.

"Oh...um...you heard about that?"

Twilight nodded.

"I have. It seems that you've taken quite an interest in...how was it called...shipping?"

Silverstream hung her head, but only briefly, as she looked up once more, bearing a wide smile as she did so.

"I just can't help it! Ever since Sandbar and Ocellus got together, I've just been so excited about it! I look around and, oh, I see potential for it everywhere!"

Leaning closer, the Hippogriff female began to whisper to her Head-Mare.

"Do you think your assistant Spike would go better with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo or Apple Bloom? Because I've sort of been on the fence about that one."

Twilight briefly rolled her eyes to this before finally answering.

"Silverstream...I realise it's important for a student to have interests outside of their work...but such interests may become a problem if it begins to interfere in that work. And unfortunately..."

Looking over to a pile of papers on her desk, Twilight placed her hoof on it.

"...that's exactly what's been happening with you."

Here, Silverstream's smile faded, but only a little.

"Oh...have I been...failing?"

Twilight shook her head.

"No, your work has been going well, as has all of you and our friends' work. But there's been a noticeable decline in your work standards specifically. And when I see you during our lectures, I can't help but notice that you seem...distracted."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You look to your classmates and...to put it bluntly...you keep making goo-goo eyes at them."

The Princess leaned forward, resting her hooves upon the desk.

"I take it you spent that time trying to make up these pairing of yours in your head?"

Silverstream looked away, and for the first time since the two had met, Twilight saw a little bit of disappointment in her student. But, let it never be said that Twilight was insensitive to this sort of thing, and so, after letting out another sigh, she regained her smile.

"Silverstream...I'm not going to condemn you for being this passionate about something that, quite frankly, isn't doing anycreature any harm."

The student looked back to her, her face lighting up slightly.

"So...you're not going to write to my parents about this?"

Twilight giggled.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to cause a diplomatic incident by letting it known that Queen Novo's niece is slipping in her school-work. However..."

A slightly sterner look came to her.

"...I will have to ask that you try and keep this urge to match-make under control."

Upon hearing that, Silver scratched the back of her head in a nervous manner.

"I...I don't know if I can!"

A smirk came to Twilight at that.

"Don't worry. There's somepony who can probably help you with that."

Silverstream opened her mouth to speak, only to be kept from doing so when, all of a sudden, there was another knocking upon the door of the office, prompting Twilight to look to it again.

"Come in!"

Again, the door let out a loud creak as it opened, and Silverstream was struck with curiosity as she looked over to see who it was who now entered. And when she did finally get a good look of who it was, she was utterly awe-struck. For there, now standing regally in the doorway, was none other than the Princess of love herself, Mi'Amore Cadenza.

"I hope I'm not too late?" she asked.

"Not at all, Cadence. Come in," Twilight replied.

Using her magic to close the door behind her, the pink alicorn entered the office in earnest, and as she did this, Silverstream practically leapt from her chair.

"Oh...my...gosh! You're Princess Cadence!"

Though taken aback by this, Cadence quickly composed herself, giving a smile and a nod to the enthusiastic Hippogriff.

"Indeed I am. And you must be Silverstream, yes?"

Silverstream let out a gasp at that.

"You...you've heard of me? You've heard of me!"

Cadence's smile widened to this.

"Yes...and I hear from Twilight that you've been a little...distracted lately."

All at once, Silverstream remembered why she was here, and soon lowered herself back into her chair, seeming just a touch less exuberant than she was moments before.

"Yes...I...I think I have a...shipping problem?"

Giggling, Cadence stepped forward, gently placing her hoof upon Silverstream's shoulder.

"Fear not. Admitting it is the first step on the road to recovery. After all, I was much like you when I was younger. Always seeing potential pairings and obsessing over them. It was a hard thing, learning to cope with those urges, but I assure you, with a little bit of dedication, you can learn to get a grip on them."

Silverstream looked to her with wide eyes, maintaining her sense of awe at this apparent icon of hers. Meanwhile, Twilight, who seemed more than satisfied at how things were progressing here, got up from her desk, using her magic to levitate another pile of papers to follow her as she walked past Cadence.

"Well then, Cadence, if you don't mind, I have a lesson to get to. If you would...?"

She didn't finish, as Cadence merely gave a nod.

"Not to worry, Twilight. We've got things under control here."

Twilight smiled to that, and so went off on her merry way, ready to face another lecture with her various classes. Cadence watched her go, as indeed did Silverstream, and as soon as the young Princess had left the room, Cadence's head snapped back in the direction of her Hippogriff ward.

"Okay, kid, if you want to ship right, here's how you do it."

Of course, Silverstream was rather shocked by such words.

"But...but aren't you supposed to...?"

A chuckle escaped the Princess.

"I was brought to help you be able to continue doing well in your studies and school-work while continuing this hobby of yours, and I will. But..."

She leaned forward, bearing a sly smirk.

"...that doesn't mean I can't also teach you how to do that hobby better now, does it?"

Slowly, Silverstream's face developed into an utterly giddy expression, looking like she was about to burst at the seams with pure joy. But, after seeing a sterner look from Cadence, she got herself under control, sitting upright and clearing her throat.

"Alright then, Princess...teach away."

Smiling again, Cadence began to pace up and down in front of her.

"Lesson one...anyone can be paired up with anyone."

To that, Silverstream snapped her claws.

"I knew it!"

Next Chapter: Gallus' Secret Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 48 Minutes